Fictiontopia: A Game's Legend
by Mr History 94
Summary: Journey to the Kingdom of Segendo: the realm of the video game characters. In this story, King Mario faces aggresive and tough opposition from the Sony Organization and its leader: Warchief Kratos. What will this feud result in? This is a story about the chronicles of a legendary game!
1. Prologue

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

The world of Fictiontopia contains many different countries. People have been exploring into the realms of anime and manga characters, as well as the countries of the feature animation characters. But this time, we are going to explore a different country from what we have seen before. We will now visit the kingdom of Segendo: home to one of the most unique inhabitants of Fictiontopia: the video game characters.

What is the story behind them? Where did they come from? Well, we just have to tell the story then. For many years in the past, the video game people were divided into many different lordships. Among them were the likes of Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Namco and Konami. These five lordships dominated the video game life. However, they were constantly engaged in rivalry with each other, seeking to become the undisputed ruler of the video game nation. As a result, many video game characters perished in the bloody conflicts.

But one lordship sought to put an end to this bloodshed, believing it would eventually lead to the end of video game life. It was the largest and strongest of the lordships: Nintendo. Despite its size and strength, Nintendo openly rejected focusing its resources on conquest and domination. Rather, it sought to promote harmony between every warring lordship. The first lordship to answer the call of video game unity was Nintendo's former archrival: Sega.

As the two lordships united, Capcom, Namco and Konami entered the pact as well. Thus began the birth of a united kingdom belonging to the video game people: Segendo. It was named after the two leading lordships, who were the most enthusiastic proponents of this integration. They became the twin-engine of the newborn kingdom. The Segendians were known to have contact with the outside world, mostly the Western nations, although it also established links with the estranged empire of Nipponichi, as well as the budding kingdom of Dreampix. Technically, they came to view the Dreampixans as close allies, despite their somewhat arrogant and gruff attitude.

But in the next generations, new problems arose within the kingdom. New small lordships like Microsoft, Ubisoft, Atari and Sony were openly opposed to the authorities in the capital city of Mushroompolis. The rule of Segendo consisted of one king ruling on the top along with his advisers. It was not necessarily democratic, more like an absolute monarchy. Anyway, these new lordships were forcibly annexed into Segendo. The Segendians began wresting for control over them. Ubisoft, Microsoft and Atari were forced to adept the new strict laws, but only Sony remained defiant.

Sony was the home to many characters, whether they were from older or younger targeted games. They saw this video game integration as something which only benefitted Nintendo and the other lordships of old. In order to solve this conflict, King Mario and his men decided to engage in dialogue with Sony, in hopes of convincing them to accept the integration. Mario was described as being more moderated than his predecessors. In Segendo, he lifted the taxes and helped both the poor and the downtrodden, including by building them homes. But unbeknownst to him, many of Mario's allies and advisors were very critical of Mario's idealistic politics. They resented him for being too soft on Sony, as well as giving more power to the people than the authorities. That is why they decided to ruin the negotiations between him and Sony by assassinating the group of four old elders, who were negotiating with Mario. This left a deep scar in the hearts of the people of Sony.

Eventually, people from Sony decided to declare war against Segendo in order to preserve their identity. A well-known warlord with an outspoken passion and fury, founded the Sony Organization along with other warlords, with its goal to fight against what they considered to be a threat against their lifestyles. The leading warlord was a legendary warrior called Kratos, who claimed to be descended from gods. He declared himself the honourable Warchief of Sony and established his power from his capital: Athenaeum, named after his half-sister. With the support of other warlords, like Nathan Drake, Cole McGrath, Needles Kane, Emmet Graves, Rohn Partrige, Nariko, Leonard, Rau Utu and Dart Feld, Kratos would ensure that his union would rise up to challenge Mario.

Mario, who was incredibly ashamed of himself for the betrayal from within his ranks, knew that this Sony Organization could not be reasoned with. As much as he hated it, he decided to declare war against Sony. However, the armies of Sony were more advanced than the Segendians thought. The combined armies of Helghast, Chimera, Outcasts, Mokai, Colossuses and other dangerous warriors proved to be deadly adversaries against the royal armies. But still, the Segendians fought tooth and nail to keep the Sony Organization at bay. King Mario and his associates knew that something dark and troubling were looming in Segendo. They needed to search for anything suspicious while maintaining their ground against Sony.

Back in Sony, Kratos and his associates tried to forcibly enlist all characters into the war effort. Some characters were more than happy to oblige. However, many of them resented the Warchief and his tyrannical rule, thereby choosing to remain neutral in the conflict. It became worse when demonstrations against the Sony Organization were held in Athenaeum. This was not tolerated by the Warchief and his government. They dispatched troops to capture them, but many managed to escape from the mainland and settled themselves on a chain of islands outside Segendo. These islands had anything from volcanoes, to jungles. Since the trees possessed many delicious wumpa fruits, the islands were called Wumpa Islands. In time, these so-called exiles established themselves cities to live in, although they also preferred to live in smaller villages in the jungle or fields.

As we watch this conflict in Segendo, it is clear that both sides have really no reason to fight each other, because from the shadows, something sinister is watching the turmoil to its own amusement. It threatens to destroy everything the video game characters have been striving to build since they first sat foot on this world. This is the story of Fictiontopia: A Game's Legends.

_To be continued…_

**Author's note:** **This is only the prologue.**


	2. The Beginning of a Legend

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Legend**

_Sandover Village, Wumpa Islands, outside the southern coastline of Segendo_

This tropical village was home to some exiles from Sony. They had all settled themselves on the Wumpa Islands in fear of being drawn to the terrible war between King Mario and Warchief Kratos. Currently, we find ourselves in the hut belonging to the village's mayor: Samos Hagai. He is a wise sage, yet known for his short-temper and grumpy attitude. He is currently education many villagers in his hut. He explains to them about the creation of Segendo and all video game character. However, he suddenly notices that something's missing.

"And so began the birth of Segendo, after Nintendo and Sega united all the other lordships on this continent. But, there was something unusual which…..ah wait! Something is wrong here!" the old man quitted his explanation when he began noticing something. "Let me just check if everyone's here!" he added while grumbling.

He checked on his logbook in and began reading every name of the attendants in his hut. There were many, of course.

"Okay, please say when your names are called! Spike" Samos said.

"I'm here, master!" the young blonde-haired boy named Spike said while raising his hand.

"Parappa" the sage continued.

"Right here, yo!" the small, talking dog said in return.

"Tomba" the sage continued.

"Yeah!" a small pink-haired boy with dirty, green pants said.

"Toro Inoue" the sage said.

"Meow!" a small, talking cat said while waving hello.

"Daniel Fortesque" the sage said.

"MMMMM (I'm here, master!)" the tall skeleton said, although many couldn't really understand what he was saying.

"Okay, Kat" the sage said.

"I am right here, Master Samos!" a young blonde-haired girl said while raising her arm. Her cat Dusty was sitting on her lap.

"Good! Sly Cooper" the sage said.

"Present and accounted for, old man!" a young adult raccoon said while lifting his hat in respect. Samos merely sighed deeply.

"Whatever….okay, Spyro" he said, but he got no response.

"Not present….what about Ratchet" he said but no answer came. He couldn't hear anything from Clank either.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me….Jak!" he said but he was not present as well. Neither was Daxter, his small ottsel sidekick.

"And finally Crash Bandicoot!" he said angrily, because he knew that he was also not present in his hut. Samos angrily slammed his logbook.

"Alright will someone just tell me where those four idiots are!? This is the third time they are not present at my educating! And that goes also for Daxter and Clank as well!" he said angrily while eyeing every attendants in his hut.

"Chill out, log-head! They are still in the village…..sort of" Sly said casually. Samos brought his green, but angry face to him.

"You know where they went!? Then why didn't you tell me before!?" he demanded an answer from the raccoon, but he merely shrugged.

"I don't know…because they somewhat….don't wanna hang out here…I guess" Sly tried to come up with an answer, but Samos sighed at him.

"Just tell me where they went" he said lowly.

* * *

_Just outside Samos' hut in the ocean_

On a small boat with a large-propeller at its back, Crash, Spyro, Jak and Ratchet were driving it on the ocean. They had actually betted against each other that they couldn't fall from the boat while riding the large waves. Daxter and Clank took issues with that, but the others proceeded with it.

"Okay, guys! This is TOTALLY CRAAAZYYY!" Daxter shouted out load while clinging on to Jak.

"Shouldn't we return to the village? Samos is probably worried about us" Clank asked formally.

"Are you ready to get yourself wet, Crash?" Jak asked mockingly to the bandicoot who merely glared in return.

"Shut up! I've done this before! You're the one who's gonna be wet!" Crash retorted to the blonde-haired young elf.

"No you haven't! This isn't surfing! It's all about braving the seas!" Jak corrected him, but he didn't seem interested.

"Well I could care less what this is, because I know what I'm doing!" Crash said, much to Jak's annoyance.

"For crying out loud fellas, this is seriously called SUICIDE!" Daxter freaked out towards everyone.

"But why did you join us, Daxter? You could've stayed back at the docks with Sparx and Aku Aku, you know" Spyro said to the orange-furred ottsel.

"Don't get me started, flame-breath! Why would I speak to a dragonfly and a talking chocolate with feathers?" Daxter asked him, but Spyro merely growled back, as did Crash.

"Okay, how about we just nock it off? What's done is done, alright?" Ratchet tried to stop this commotion which was getting annoying for both him and Jak. But he didn't mind teasing Spyro a little. "Anyway Spyro, are you sure you can actually swim underwater? I mean, you're a dragon and all" Ratchet mockingly asked the purple-skinned dragon.

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny, Ratchet! You know, those jokes of yours are getting as old as Samos's skinny legs!" Spyro retorted, causing everyone aboard the boat to laugh their butts off.

As the boat continued driving towards the open ocean, the waves became rougher than the group had first thought. One big wave nearly managed to sideswipe the boat, much to everyone's caution.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Daxter shouted out loud in fear.

"That wave nearly destroyed the boat! I suggest we stop playing jackasses and turn around now!" Spyro shouted.

"But it's impossible to steer the boat in these waves! The waves just keep us away from the right distance!" Ratchet shouted while trying to steer the ship.

"This is your entire fault, Crash!" Jak said while gritting his teeth.

"Me? You're the one who suggested this, smartass!" Crash hit back at him.

"Careful! There's a large wave coming towards us! The boat won't make it this time!" Clank said cautiously and pointed his finger towards a large wave that was heading towards the group.

Everyone screamed in fear at the wave. In just a short moment, the large wave hit the boat, thus destroying it. The four passengers and their sidekicks were swallowed into the ocean. They tried to hold their breaths as possible, but they had been sent to deep in the ocean. They almost drowned, until they were lifted up by a strange power. Crash barley saw bright light shining towards him. It symbolized the saviour. As much as Crash couldn't feel it, a firm grip suddenly took his hand and helped him to safety.

* * *

_Inside Crash's house in the outskirts of Sandover Village, 20 minutes later_

Crash opened his eyes slowly. He could feel he was lying on something comfortable. Was this heaven? No, he found out that he hadn't drowned. He could breathe clearly. As his eyes opened, Crash noticed his younger sister Coco Bandicoot and their friend Crunch Bandicoot sitting beside him. Coco smiled with joy.

"Big brother, you're awake! We thought we had lost you forever!" Coco said while hugging Crash tightly. Crash returned the hug and smiled awkwardly at her.

"Yeah….I am alive….I guess" he said.

All of a sudden, Coco and Crunch delivered punches at him, thus sending him out of bed. He was outraged at that.

"Hey! What's the big deal!? I just woke up from a near-death experience and then you suddenly beat me senseless!? That's not fair!" he said angrily.

"Of course it is! Especially when you went out to the ocean with Samos's boat, instead of attending his class like you were supposed to!" Crunch barked at him.

"What? What do you…..oh….oh crap….I remember now" Crash said dumbfounded, realising what he just did.

"You're lucky you weren't awake to hear what Samos said about this. He now forbids you and the others from ever going outside the village, as well as travelling out on the ocean. He even placed you and Jak in charge of cleaning the basement at his hut" Coco explained to him, much to Crash's outrage.

"Are you serious!? It wasn't my idea to steal Samos's boat, Jak persuaded me to brave the waves. I was just gonna show him what type of douche-bag he was by being brave" Crash tried to explain, but he was cut off by Crunch.

"Look Crash! We don't give a rat's ass about which one of you decided that bet. Every one of you were acting childish and immature, no joking!" the strong bandicoot with a metal hand said. Crash slumped in defeat, knowing better than to argue with them.

"Your friend here sure have some guts braving the waves, wouldn't you say?" a voice suddenly called out to the bandicoot trio.

Two adults went into the bedroom in order to check on Crash. The first one was a black-haired man dressed in grey/green sweater. He was also wearing jeans. The other one was an attractive brunette with a ponytail. She was dressed with a green t-shirt and light-brown shorts. Both these strangers were known to be armed with weapons, yet they didn't really seem threatening at all. Crash stared at them with interest.

"What….who are…..they?" Crash asked while trying to get back on his feet.

"They are the ones who saved you and the others from the ocean. They claim to be explorers and spelunkers. I already consider them friends, given what they just did" Coco explained.

"So do I" Crunch remarked.

"I and my lovely partner here saw you and your friends on that boat. With tough luck we managed to pull you all out of the ocean. Then we brought you back to your village, and your mayor became eternally grateful" the young man explained.

"I hate what that tiny orange creature did to me when he woke up! He tried to peek at my cleavage" the woman said irritated while crossing her arms. The man merely chuckled at her.

"Well what do you know, someone's already a big fan of you, right Lara?" he asked teasingly while nudging her.

"Watch it, Drake!" the woman said coldly while sighing deeply.

Crash continued to eye the two explorers. He decided to show some gratitude for their help.

"Hey….I what my sister says is true…then…..thank you….if it weren't for you….I would've probably ended up in a watery grave" Crash said lowly. The man merely patted his messy head, while the woman surprisingly smiled warmly at him.

"No problem, junior! Just don't continue to disrespect your leader anymore?" he said.

"What is your name? We won't forget who we saved if we don't know your name" the woman asked.

"I'm Crash Bandicoot….thanks for the rescue….and the advice" Crash said, causing the adults to chuckle at him.

"So you're all bandicoots, huh? Interesting! My name is Nathan Drake. I'm an explorer with great ambitions" the man introduced himself.

"And I am his partner and assistant, Lara Croft. We might come from the main, but we assure you: we won't harm you. That's not our motivation for coming to these islands" the woman said while speaking about their motives.

"Then what brings you here? Are you on holiday or something?" Coco asked curiously, but Nathan cut her off.

"Not exactly holiday! More like doing our job, which is to search the various temples and ruins around these islands" he explained, which made Crash interested in what he said.

"We better leave you alone then. It's nice that we were allowed inside your home. But now we must continue with our job. It was nice to meet you, Crash!" Lara said while for reasons unknown giving him a wink. Crash was dumbfounded about that.

"Yeah, perhaps we will see each other around sometimes! Farewell!" Nathan said and both he and Lara left the house. The bandicoots waved their hands and were more than grateful for what they just did. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

_In the Uncharted Sea, a few distances from the Wumpa Islands_

A large battleship was docked in the middle of the ocean. It bared the symbol of the Sony Organization on it. However at the bridge, a known colonel in Sony's army: Mael Radec was standing while observing his environment. This Helghast was among Sony's most brilliant tacticians. But he was also a ruthless military leader and a staunch follower of Warchief Kratos.

Suddenly, the captain of the ship approached the colonel. He was about to deliver something important.

"Captain, any signs of Nathan Drake and Lara Croft yet?" he asked him with a strict voice.

"Colonel Radec, we have tried to get in touch with them through communications but it doesn't work. I think we have somewhat lost them" he reported to him, but the colonel was not satisfied.

"We haven't lost them, you imbecile! They are doing a scouting mission around the Wumpa Islands. They said it would take some days, but I know when to grow impatient" he said while scolding the captain's empty words.

"Do you think they will succeed with their mission, sir?" the captain asked him with respect. The colonel suddenly took a few steps closer to the nearest window and eyed outside.

"I expect them to do succeed. We all know how the Warchief has been growing impatient with Mr Drake in the last few days. He wants to test his loyalties to see whether he is loyal to his cause as he is to his love for archaeology. Either he and Mrs Croft will succeed their mission, or they will be executed as traitorous scum!" he concluded with his red eyes glowing redder.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note:** **This was the first chapter.**


	3. Interests and Desires

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Interests and Desires**

_Samos' hut, Sandover Village_

It was night in the village. But the home of Samos Hagai had still its lights on. The old sage had decided to give both Nathan and Lara hospitality for saving his four troubled students. Both explorers politely accepted his offer. They were now speaking to each other at his kitchen.

"I cannot repay you for what you travellers just did, but you have my deepest gratitude!" Samos told them.

"It's the least we could do since we barley possess knowledge about these islands….well except for a few things" Nathan said.

"Don't spoil so much, Drake!" Lara scolded her partner.

"Tell me strangers: what is it you're really after? And be honest with me" the old sage asked them with more seriousness this time.

Both explorers took a deep breath before they could answer, for what they were about to tell him was no pleasant news.

"This is a serious matter, old man! Since you are this village's mayor, we can tell you this! But you don't have to tell anybody about this!" Lara explained, much to Samos's shock.

"The truth of the matter is: the Wumpa Islands are in danger" Nathan told him lowly.

"No…..it can't be! What danger lies close to us!?" the old man asked with fear in his voice.

"Few days from now on…..the Sony Organization is planning an invasion of the islands" Lara said.

"What! First they force us out of our homes and now they seek to exterminate us!? What's gotten into their heads!? We chose to remain neutral in the squabbles between the Warchief and Segendo!" Samos told them. Nathan nodded at his statement.

"You're correct! You and the rest of these exiles rejected the Organization's call for Sony unity. But I'm afraid their motives are not to exterminate you. They are more like: enlisting you" he corrected him.

"Enlist us!? They want us to follow them into battle!? That's preposterous!" Samos said outraged.

"It is. Warchief Kratos and the other warlords of the Organization will arrive on the Wumpa Islands and give your people an ultimatum: join them or die. You must be prepared when the time comes" Nathan said.

"How do you know about this? If I'm not mistaking….you are actually working for the Organization" Samos pointed out while demanding an answer. Nathan sighed deeply before answering.

"I'm one of the warlords serving Kratos. My name is Nathan Drake. But unlike many other warlords, I have a very strained relationship with him" Nathan revealed his true identity. "Lara here is a close associate of mine who's been very helpful these times" he added

"Apparently we are pretending to do a scouting mission on these islands for him. But we have an objective known to us only" Lara said, much to the old man's interest.

"Then what is your objective?" Samos asked.

"Our objective is" Nathan rose up from his seat. "To stop this madness happening in the video game country right now!" he finally answered.

"But in order to do that, we must find something important. And that lies somewhere on these islands" Lara explained.

Samos decided to listen to what they were telling him. But he also knew that it would be impossible for him to keep this troubling news secret to everyone around him.

* * *

_Next day at the Bandicoot house, on the outskirts of Sandover Village_

Outside the house, Crunch was doing some exercises while Coco was fixing on something in the garage. She was working on a vehicle that was vital in a famous upcoming event being arranged in the village. Suddenly, she was interrupted on her work by her older brother.

"What's all this about, sis?" Crash asked while staring at the vehicle. Coco took a break and eyed him.

"Don't you remember, Crash! I'm working on our racing car!" she said enthusiastically. But Crash didn't seem to understand.

"Ummm….what do we need a racing carfor?" he asked confused and dumbfounded at the same time. Coco sighed deeply.

"You pea-brain, it's for the upcoming Sandover Grand Prix this year! It's only a few days left before it starts and the racing car is almost finished! Do you understand now?" she asked him, much to Crash's delight.

"Oh yeah, the Grand Prix, why didn't you say so? How does the car look?" Crash asked while moving closer to study its appearance.

The car was almost like a buggy, except for the fact that it was made to go faster. It was orange-coloured with wheels strong and slippery. Coco had also made sure that the wheels would be protected in case of something tricky happened. And of course it had no roof, but a windshield with two wing mirrors on each side. It was….stunning.

"Wow! This is one good-looking beauty, wouldn't you agree, Coco?" Crash asked his sister.

"You're darn right it is! I call this one Orange Lightning!" Coco said, but Crash became confused.

"But isn't that the so-called superhero nickname given to Daxter?" he asked her.

"Who cares about what that perverted doofus says? We call it whatever we wanna call it!" Coco said determined. Crash nodded his head in agreement, admiring his sister's toughness.

"Anyway, I can't wait till I get to drive this thing and you will be my co-driver" Crash said, causing Coco to chuckle sweetly.

"Ahem! About that Crash, we need to talk" the strict voice belonging to Crunch suddenly appeared, as he stood behind the siblings with his arms crossed. His gaze was mostly fixed upon Crash.

"C'mon Crunch! What is there to talk about? Of course I am geared up for this race, don't sweat it!" the young bandicoot said confidentially, but Crunch sighed deeply at this.

"It's not about your enthusiasm, little buddy! It's about your behaviour! Ever since what happened yesterday, both Coco and I are getting sick of you screwing up everything! Can you for once try to stay out of trouble?" Crunch asked him while Coco stared at her brother with a look similar to Crunch's. Crash sighed in defeat.

"Yeah…I will try my best! If I fail…you can punch me as much as you want…I promise" Crash said lowly while Coco and Crunch laughed at him. "Furthermore, I won't listen to what Jak says! I will listen to you more!" he added.

"Good. I'm glad you are getting our picture!" Crunch said.

"Okay big brother! Can you do me a favour while you're at the village?" Coco asked her brother.

"Sure sis! What is it?" Crash wanted to know more.

"I was hoping if you could buy some cookies and milk. And you can add Wumpa-fruits to the list for a nice Wumpa-pie!" Coco said much to Crash's gleeful eyes.

"Alright, I will behave as well as I can while cleaning Samos's hut. I won't disappoint you!" Crash said enthusiastically to his sister and went on his way.

* * *

_Samos's hut, Sandover Village_

In order to make sure Crash wouldn't screw up again, his adoptive father Aku Aku decided to accompany him to Samos's hut. Yesterday he fell asleep for some reason, so he was unable to convince Crash to not go along with the so-called bet. But now, Aku Aku was determined to prevent Crash from doing something stupid as that.

"Okay Crash! Now remember what you promised to Coco and Crunch!" he said to the bandicoot.

"I know! And so shall I!" Crash said mockingly to him, although he was serious about it.

Before Crash could open the door, it suddenly slammed open, much to Crash and Aku Aku's fear. At the door stood an angry Samos with his staff pointed at Crash. The young bandicoot widened at that.

"Good morning, Master Samos! How are you feeling tod….OUCH!" Crash yelled once he felt the sage's staff on his head. It left him an ugly mark.

"Don't give me more of that nonsense, you fool of a bandicoot! Weren't you supposed to attend my lesson yesterday!?" Samos asked angrily. Crash sighed irritably.

"I wouldn't have done that if your so-called future son-in-law didn't piss me off!" Crash tried to pin the blame on Jak, but Samos was not impressed.

"Both you and Jak are responsible for this stupidity! That goes also for Ratchet and Spyro since they chose to nearly waste their lives on this….bet!" the sage explained strictly. Crash sighed in defeat, knowing better than to argue against his master.

"So…what am I supposed to do here?" Crash asked while trying to change the subject.

"You and Jak will be responsible for cleaning my basement! That will give you both enough time to think about your childish action!" Samos replied.

The young bandicoot followed the sage into his hut and Aku Aku accompanied him. Once he was inside his living room, he noticed Jak speaking to a young, green-haired woman. She was Samos's daughter: Keira Hagai. She and Jak had a somewhat romantic relationship, although this wasn't known much to the public in Sandover. Jak noticed Crash and smiled smugly.

"Well look who's here? Took you long enough!" he said while approaching the bandicoot. Crash stared back at him with rolling eyes.

"Look Jak! I really don't have time for any of your stupid pokes! So can we please just get the job done so…" Crash explained annoyingly but he was stopped by Jak.

"Okay! I was just wondering about the same thing. Now let's clean the basement!" Jak suggested and Crash followed him. This left only Samos alone with his daughter. Keira noticed how troubled his father seemed to be.

"Dad, is there something wrong?" she asked concerned. The old man immediately snapped.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing Keira! I'm just getting a little bit rusty. Being a mayor, a teacher and a sage at the same time is not easy as it seems" Samos explained that to her.

"Well, when I'm succeeding you as a mayor, I will be a sage and a mechanic at the same time! People are always up for something new!" Keira explained confidentially making her father chuckle in amusement.

"Anyway, I better go check on the car me and Jak are supposed to drive with for Sandover Grand Prix! And don't you worry about me racing with Jak! I'm a grown up woman!" Keira said determined and went downstairs to the garage.

Now that he was alone, Samos could only let out a despairing sigh. Because he knew that there would be no Sandover Grand Prix this time. He was very uncertain if his daughter could really succeed him as mayor, given what he was told.

* * *

_On the hut's roof_

Spyro and Ratchet had been placed in charge of working on the hut's roof. So far, it went relatively well…until Spyro and Ratchet started to argue with each other.

"Hah! You won't stand a chance against me in the upcoming race! I will drive the hoverbike that I've just fixed!" Ratchet said with a smug look. Spyro rolled his eyes at the Lombax.

"You talk too much, catface! I'm also prepared for the race and I WILL beat you!" Spyro said while smirking.

"Oh yeah, and what will you race with, a skateboard perhaps?" Ratchet asked mockingly, much to Spyro's chagrin.

"You're just jealous of me beating you in skateboarding! I will show you something better at the race!" he hit back. Ratchet chuckled in amusement.

Also on the roof, both Sparx and Clank watched the commotion between their best pals with confused looks on their faces.

"What's with them all of a sudden?" Sparx asked the robot.

"Ratchet is just very excited about the upcoming race. He wants to test his hoverbike…but I only hope he knows what he's doing" Clank answered.

* * *

_In the jungle outside from Sandover_

Nathan and Lara had been wondering through the jungle after meeting the villagers of Sandover. They were given hospitality thanks to the rescuing of Crash and his friends. But now, they had to continue with their mission, a mission which was very vital to them.

"If what Samos says is true, then we must be nearing the ruins" Lara remarked while studying the environment.

"I see. Then we better hurry…who knows when Radec will send assassins after us" Nathan suggested and they both started running through the jungle. They did that because they were also in danger, not just the people on the islands.

Nathan remembered a few days ago, at the Warlord's Council. He and other warlords had been summoned by Kratos to discuss their current motives and plans for the Organization. It was very difficult for him that day.

* * *

_Flashback, 4 days ago in a meeting room_

In a meeting room in the city of Athenaeum, Nathan sat by a table surrounded by other well-known celebrities in Sony. At the send of the table sat Kratos on his antiquity throne eyeing every warlord. Nathan did not even make face eye contact with him.

"I'm pleased every warlord could make it to this meeting. We have much to discuss about…our current path" Kratos said strictly and emotionless, his voice sounding like powder and iron.

"What's the point of having this meeting when we could be slaughtering our enemies!? Make this quick, Warchief!" said the psychopathic clown named Sweet Tooth. His real name was Needles Kane, but he preferred to be called Sweet Tooth. He was brandishing his machete.

"How about you shut up? We are more than killers, you stupid clown!" another warlord called Emmet Graves said to him.

"I will cut your punk-ass tongue for that insult!" Sweet Tooth stated and rose up slowly from his seat.

"This is nothing but foolishness!" the warlord named Nariko remarked lowly while crossing her arms in irritation.

"ENOUGH OF THIS, ALL OF YOU!" the roaring voice of Kratos hit on the bickering warlords. They calmed themselves and knew better than to provoke their leader.

"I have only one announcement to make: because of the exiles refusing to participate in this liberation, we will force them into the Sony Organization!" he declared, much to Nathan's outrage.

"You mean we will enlist those on the Wumpa Islands to fight alongside with us?" Rau Utu asked.

"Oh, that sounds like so much fun! I can't wait to test them!" Sweet Tooth said gleefully.

Nathan found out that he could no longer be silent about any of this, so he rose up from his seat and reluctantly eyed his superior with a face of defiance.

"This is madness, Kratos!" he said outraged. The Warchief merely stared at him disapprovingly, not saying anything.

"We can't spill blood upon the exiles! They have nothing to do with this battle! Right now…" before he could protest Kratos cut him off.

"Sit down and be quiet! You and I will have a talk after this meeting, Nathan Drake!" Kratos said and the explorer sat down and didn't say anything. He noticed that some of the other warlords were staring widened at his defiance. They all viewed Nathan as a fool for standing up to someone like Kratos. But Nathan himself did not look forward to the meeting with the Warchief.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note:** **This was the second chapter. It showed you a brief glimpse of Nathan and his attitude to Kratos. But we will soon learn more of him and Lara and what they truly seek at the Wumpa Islands.**


	4. A Sapphire from the Oceans

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Sapphire from the Oceans**

_In a secret room, Athenaeum, four days ago_

Nathan Drake was having a face-to-face discussion with Kratos alone. They were in a room hidden from any curious faces. But Nathan himself wasn't looking forward to this, because he knew that he would get scolding and criticism from his leader. As the muscular and pale-skinned man merely sat on his chair while glaring at him, Nathan decided to speak up, in hopes of changing his opinion.

"Warchief, what I said earlier was not about dismantling your leadership. It was all about…" he stopped once he heard Kratos's gruff voice.

"I know that, Nathan Drake! You didn't speak about defection. Rather, you questioned my way of solving problems. Do you even realize what we are up against!?" he demanded an answer from the spelunker who sighed deeply.

"I know that it's important for us to stand against King Mario! However, we shouldn't force others to risk their lives on the battlefield! They don't deserve such treatment!" Nathan pointed out, much to Kratos's indifference.

"You are saying that those of Sony flesh and blood should reject our call for liberation!? Should we just let them skulk around their homes defenceless!? Your opinion sickens me, Nathan!" Kratos rebuked him.

"But the first thing we don't know is the fact that if it was Mario's orders to kill our elders. Don't you think that someone else could've pulled something like that?" Nathan asked with reason.

"Bah! You are too ignorant to see the facts, young one! Of course we decided to engage in negotiations with Segendo, but why did they have to assassinate our elders!? They gave their word…but that was nothing but a lie" Kratos explained coldly. Nathan scratched the back of his head.

"Hey…you know something….I might be able to do you a service. Do you want to hear it?" Nathan asked his superior. Kratos focused his attention on him.

"A service, you say? Argh…explain it to me and I may consider it" Kratos demanded.

"Okay. For you see I was just wondering…..

* * *

_Present day, Wumpa Islands_

Back in the jungle, we see Nathan and Lara walking through while passing by some old ruins. Nathan had been explaining to Lara about his story while they wandered.

"And that's how I managed to convince him to put his trust in me. I told him that I could do a scouting mission on these islands. Kratos was sceptical at first, but he agreed to it if only Colonel Radec could be witnessing it. But things have changed" Nathan said to Lara who nodded in return.

"I know. We left Colonel Radec's ship during night. We used a lifeboat to reach Wumpa Islands. But tell me, Drake: what do you think these islands have that could help us against Kratos or other threats on the rise?" she asked him seriously. Nathan took a deep breath before answering.

"There are rumours of one such temple containing an artefact created by Fictiontopia's creators. Legends say that the one in possession of it can control the seas" Nathan explained, much to Lara's shock.

"Are you serious!? Don't tell me that you're planning on destroying the world!" she said outraged, but Nathan tried to calm her down.

"Slow down! I never said anything about destroying the world! No I want to use it to end all of this chaos. It's called….the Orb of Azulmona! It's said to have been created by the goddess Azulmona to control the seas!" Nathan said with interest.

"That is very interesting to hear, Drake! But do you really think it could…." Lara stopped once she noticed Nathan just staring at something in front of them. Once Lara looked forward, she was completely stunned.

It was an old temple, where the vegetation had taken control of its white colour. Water was running freely from the temple, to the rivers and lakes in the jungle. Nathan smiled and slowly walked towards it, Lara followed him.

"I Just hope you know what you are doing, Drake" Lara said to herself as she followed her partner.

* * *

_Outside Sandover Village, Sly Copper and the gang's hideout_

In a large shack in the jungle, Sly was relaxing while reading the Theivius Raccoonus. The young raccoon lived at this shack along with his lifetime buddies, a four-eyed but smart turtle named Bentley and a clumsy, but strong hippo named Murray. Sly were orphaned at early age and found himself at an orphanage, were he eventually met Bentley and Murray. Together, they would form a trio which was built upon friendship and brotherhood. Even though the trio were known as the local gang of thieves, their actions were mostly for the best. Indeed, the Cooper Gang always preferred to steal from the rich, greedy and tyrannical rather than the kind, gentle and defenceless. In their opinion, a true thief always stole for a purpose, not just for the sake of staying alive.

Sly studied the written texts on the book, until he was interrupted by a large explosion coming from the garage. He immediately ran to see what it was. Obviously it was Murray who was trying to check on something regarding their van. Once the raccoon entered the shack's garage, he facepalmed at what he saw.

Believe it or not, Murray had accidentally destroyed the van's motor when he hit it too hard with a wrench. This is what caused the explosion. Murray stood still while covered in black. He started coughing out smoke and soon realised Sly was watching him.

"Dude, what happened here, Murray? It almost sounded like a bomb!" Sly asked while staring at him. The hippo turned around to reply.

"Howdy Sly, I….was just trying to tame this van's good-for-nothing motor! Then all of a sudden…" Murray stretched his arms while pushing his belly. "This happened! Luckily, I'm still alive!" Murray answered, much to Sly's dismay. He sighed.

"Well, now you probably realise that hitting a motor with a wrench isn't such a good idea. Wouldn't you agree big guy?" Sly asked.

"Yeah...I think so" Murray answered.

Suddenly Bentley entered the garage while pushing his wheelchair. He just kept staring at the mess Murray made with shocked eyes.

"SWEET MOTHER OF….ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US ALL, MURRAY!?" Bentley asked outraged, but the hippo stood his ground.

"But I was only trying to figure out what the van's condition! Remember, the grand prix is only a few days away!" Murray pointed out, much to Bentley's annoyance.

"You're still getting it all wrong! You could've killed us all with what you were doing!" Bentley pointed out.

Sly watched as his two friends bickered with each other. He couldn't help but to chuckle in amusement. But there was something on his mind: how were Crash and the others doing? He smirked while thinking about their punishment for what they did yesterday.

* * *

_At Sandover Village's docks_

Crash had just cleaned up the basement at Samos's hut. Fortunately he managed to avoid any confrontation with Jak. Samos was satisfied, yet not cheerful about their actions yesterday. Ratchet and Spyro had also managed to work together on the hut's roof. True, since Ratchet was the laid-back and easy-going individual while Spyro was the hot-tempered and cocky individual. Now he sat by the docks, while slowly lowering his feet in the water. The bandicoot wanted to take a short break before continuing to the market where he was supposed to buy some Wumpa-fruits. But as Crash was about to stand up, a cheerful voice called to him.

"Hey Crash! Are you feeling well?" the voice of Kat could be heard. Crash turned up to face the blonde girl standing beside him with a gentle smile on her face. Accompanying her was her black-furred cat: Dusty. Crash's face shifted from laziness to cheerfulness.

"Kat….I'm fine. Although I'm still a little bit rusty after cleaning Master Samos's basement" Crash said, trying to sound nice. Kat giggled and sat beside the young bandicoot. She stared down at the water, much to Crash's curiosity.

"It feels really nice, doesn't it?" she asked, making Crash confused.

"What do you mean by that? That I'm finally done with the cleaning?" he asked, causing Kat to laugh sweetly.

"No, no silly, about lowering your feet to the water. The moment you do that, all you can feel is its chilling effect moving all around you" Kat answered while observing Crash's feet in the water. The young bandicoot merely chuckled.

"Ummm…it feels really nice…but I think I may feel something a little different from what you just told me" Crash said.

"Well, I guess you could say so" Kat remarked while gazing towards the horizon. Crash started to do the same thing.

"Are you excited for the race?" she suddenly asked the bandicoot.

"Why…yes, but my sister's only agreed to race with me if I behave. And you know what, I actually agree with her on that" Crash answered. Kat chuckled at the bandicoot's statement.

"You are lucky to have someone who cares about you, Crash" she suddenly said, much to Crash's silence. "Anyway, have you heard anything from those two strangers who saved you?" she added with a question, making Crash snap.

"Well, the so far I haven't heard anything from them. They are probably busy doing their research or whatever they called it. Oh, their names are Nathan Drake and Lara Croft, by the way" Crash said while scratching his neck. Kat smiled.

"Nathan Drake and Lara Croft, they both sound interesting, don't you think?" Kat asked.

Crash thought about it. True, those two were indeed special, considering the fact that they came from the mainland. But Crash didn't know anything much about them. Perhaps Samos knew something. As he thought about the old sage, Crash realized that Samos today sounded not as grumpy and short-tempered as the Samos he knew. It was almost as if Samos were hiding something. Not just from Crash, but from Jak, Spyro and every people in Sandover Village. This included his daughter: Keira.

"Yeah, they really do" Crash answered Kat's question.

The young girl stood up on her feet and went her way while waving Crash goodbye. The young bandicoot did the same thing. He watched as the girl and her cat walked away from his sight.

"Well, I better head over to the market! I don't wanna keep Coco and Crunch waiting" Crash said to himself and sat his course for the market in the village's centre.

* * *

_Inside the ruins of the temple in the jungles_

Nathan and Lara had finally entered the temple. They expected to encounter something dark and threatening in these abandoned corridors, likely in the form of mindless monsters. To their surprises however, no one came. But still, they wanted to remain unnoticed by anything that was probably watching them.

"This temple is probably filled with traps. It won't be easy navigating here, Drake" Lara stated lowly while readying her guns. Nathan smirked while loading his rifle.

"We'll see about that, tough girl!" he replied and the two began venturing through the empty corridors filled with flora and stone.

After completing a few tricky levels, including climbing up to openings to reach the top of the temple, the two spelunkers had arrived in a large hall where a statue of a beautiful woman stood in the centre. She held her arms like she was about to hold something. But there was other than flora and stone which could be seen in the hall. There was water, lots of it!

Water ran every corner, from the shoulders of the statue to different holes in each of the corners. They were probably running out to the rivers, and thus out to the ocean. Nathan and Lara could also se openings in the walls that were formed like windows. As a result the hall was given much thanks to the rays of sunshine.

But the spelunker duo was mostly focused on the statue and the way she held her hands while the water was running like it was washing her. They stepped closer to get a better look at the woman.

"Whoa, look at her! I've never seen statues like these! It's incredible" Nathan exclaimed while reaching out for his logbook.

"I agree. But who is she? She does not look like a Segendian, or a mortal upon our world for that matter" Lara asked while studying the statue's structure. She walked closely to study the way her hands were posed.

"According to Sully, this woman right here is…none other than Azulmona herself! That's the goddess I was speaking about earlier. It stands here in this logbook: she is the beauty that lives in the unknown, the kindness that lives in the uncertainty and the sapphire that lives in the oceans" Nathan stated while reading a few excerpts from his logbook.

"What is that you are reading?" Lara asked her partner.

"Oh, I just wrote down a few facts about Azulmona. I found them on a book Sully gave to me when I first met him. The book was about the creation of Fictiontopia and our world's former guardians. Azulmona was among these guardians" Nathan explained.

"That is indeed intriguing, Drake. However, I am still reluctant to trust this artefact you want to find so much" Lara stated coldly.

Nathan walked up towards the statue's hands and noticed something round lying there in the palms of water. As he got a closer and better look, he could see that this was the Orb of Azulmona. It was blue as the ocean itself. Nathan slowly reached for it, only for Lara to watch carefully.

"Careful! Who knows what this object might do to you!" Lara stated with a hint of fear in her voice. But Nathan slowly grabbed the orb with is hands and lifted it up. He observed it with wonder.

"This is amazing! Just look at it, Lara! Have you ever seen such wonder before?" he asked while holding the orb.

"Listen, I know it's too early to say it, but we really need to get out of this place before…." Lara stopped speaking when both she and her partner could feel the whole temple shaking. The hall didn't collapse.

But the most surprising moment was when Lara and Nathan noticed how the eyes of the statue suddenly glowed into blue. It was almost as if it was becoming alive, but this wasn't the case. Both spelunkers stared at the statue warily while noticing how blue the orb was glowing.

"This doesn't sound good! What the hell's going on?" Nathan asked with shock in his voice.

"I think it was unwise of you to just take the orb from its location, Drake!" Lara remarked while sharing her partner's feelings.

Suddenly both spelunkers snapped once they heard a voice coming to them from the unknown.

"I am Azulmona, creator of the oceans. You intruders have taken something of great value to this world! That is unforgivable!" the female voice could be heard from the statue, much to the spelunker's shock.

"Wait! We aren't thieves! We just thought this orb of yours could've helped us cure the depravity of the video game people!" Nathan tried to explain. But the voice became louder.

"Enough! My orb is not be used by mortal hands. If they did, this world's oceans could've been destructive" the female voice explained. "The relics we left behind must always be refrained from being used for selfish purposes. They can awaken terrible disasters!" the voice added with despair.

"But what happens now? Drake just held the orb! That does not mean something terrible will happen, am I right?" Lara asked while pointing out the situation.

"You mortals don't understand….by touching the orb….you have...awakened what I failed to control!" the voice of Azulmona said with a hint of sadness in her voice, much to the duo's shock.

The orb began glowing blue and soon a beam of light shot right up towards the roof. But the beam went through the roof and continued its way towards the blue sky.

* * *

_All over Sandover Village_

The people of Sandover stopped with whatever they were doing and turned their attention towards the mountains. They were all shocked. They could see the blue beam heading towards the sky.

Samos observed it with both sadness and shock from his hut. He knew what would eventually happen if someone was so foolish as do search for such relics. But he had no interest in telling the truth to Nathan and Lara.

"So it has come to this…..not good…..not good!" Samos said lowly.

At the market, Crash and other well-known people living in the village observed the beam with widened eyes. The young bandicoot had groceries in hands, but he immediately dropped them and ran straight for the light. Others continued to just stare at it with shock in their eyes.

"I better check out what that is! I'm sorry sis, Crunch! But I've gonna have to break my promise to you. But I assure you it's for a good reason!" Crash thought while running towards the light.

* * *

_On the Uncharted Sea, a few miles off the Wumpa Islands_

Colonel Mael Radec kept observing the direction the ship was heading towards. He and the rest on-board the ship had caught a glimpse of this strange light shooting up towards the air. A Helghast solider approached him with a respectful bow.

"Colonel, our radars are correct! This strange light comes from the Wumpa Islands. But we have also discovered the whereabouts of Nathan Drake and Lara Croft thanks to those tracking devices we put in their weapons and…" before he could inform his superior, the colonel interrupted him.

"And I take it Mr. Drake and Mrs. Croft are the objects standing very close to this….light" Radec stated.

"Yes sir! Correct" the Helghast answered. The colonel moved closer towards the ship's frontal windows while observing the direction the ship was heading towards. His red eyes could be reflected from the window's mirror.

"Then Wumpa Islands it is! We now have confirmation about where their loyalties lie!" Radec declared and his followers saluted. The colonel kept staring from the window. "The end draws near for you, Nathan Drake. Enjoy your final moments while they are still there" the colonel thought, while his red began glowing redder than usual.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: It's been a while since I last wrote on this story. I have been busy with the other Fictiontopia stories. But don't you worry, this story also deserves some attention. For those of you who think the beginnings are similar to that of Trouble in the East, I am planning to make this a little bit different. It won't be a repetition of what Huey and co. went through. Until then, see ya folks! **


	5. Disaster

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Disaster**

_In the jungle outside Sandover Village_

Crash was running as fast as he could. He was sprinting towards the direction of the mountains while dodging deadly traps and dangers ahead. As he struggled to catch his breath, Crash could only think of what magic lurked up in the mountains. Truth be told, Samos had advised every villager not to go near the mountains as he claimed they were cursed. That statement was only 50 % correct.

But Crash was wondering if Nathan and Lara were there. He hadn't seen them in the village, so they were probably off with their agenda whatever it was. But Crash wanted to find out what their agenda for coming here was.

"I may not be smart sometimes, but I deserve some answers out of you!" Crash said out loud while panting.

The young bandicoot was beginning to reach for hanging vines and used them to swing himself faster through the jungle.

* * *

_At the ruins of Azulmona's temple_

The two explorers watched with complete shock at what Azulmona just told them. The orb had freed itself from Nathan's grip and was floating above them while blowing the beam. But they were more concerned about what the guardian just explained to them.

"What do you mean by what you failed to control!? You created the oceans!" Nathan shouted while demanding an answer.

"You wouldn't understand, mortal! When I created the oceans, they weren't tamed as they were a few minutes ago!" Azulmona answered with anger.

"You mean….when you created the oceans…..they were destructive and chaotic?" Lara asked out loud.

"You are correct, Lara Croft. In order for me to tame the oceans, I created this orb so it could assist me guiding them into harmony. I wanted to find a perfect place for the orb to remain hidden, so I erected this temple to serve as its home and protector. As such, they were never to be touched!" the guardian of old explained, much to the explorers' surprise.

"My god…..to think that one small orb…can contain the oceans' anger" he exclaimed with surprise.

Suddenly, the temple began shaking and stones fell from the ruined roof. But they were not big enough to injure Nathan and Lara. However, there was something more they would like to know regarding the orb's attachment to the oceans.

"Listen…..I now realise my mistake of discovering your orb…..and I dragged Lara into this…..but I will do anything to correct the mistake I did!" Nathan declared it to Azulmona.

"As much as I am grateful to your apology, Nathan Drake, I am afraid it's too late to undo it now" Azulmona revealed.

"Then what happens now? You haven't yet explained what will happen when someone touches the orb!" Lara asked while demanding the guardian to answer.

There was silence in the room for a brief moment, but Azulmona sighed before replying to her question.

"Now that the oceans are angered, they will come after the one who released it. By that I mean they will kill Nathan Drake by burying him in a watery grave" she explained, much to the duo's outrage. "And there is no place for you to run. For it will come to these islands in the form of a deadly tsunami and then swallows everything to the depths, you included. More specifically the tsunami will come to this place, on the same spot you are standing right now!" Azulmona concluded her answer.

Nathan just walked into a direction while pushing his hands into his face. It was obvious that he was distressed and pissed at the same time.

"Fuck me….AHHHHH FUCK ME!" Nathan shouted angrily while slamming his fist into a wall. He hung his head in shame. Lara slowly approached him and tried to comfort the usually smart explorer. Normally she wasn't fit for such, but in this case, she had to.

"Why….why does my ideas always get screwed up so badly!? I was only trying to figure out a way to help innocent people! But instead…..I have only managed to make it worse. Because this time…innocent lives won't be wasted because of Kratos…..they will be wasted….because of me" Nathan said in anger.

"I understand what you're feeling, Drake. But sometimes, we all make mistakes" Lara explained with a soft voice. Nathan still hung his head in shame and refused to light it up. "But perhaps there is something you can at least do" she suggested, even though she wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

To her surprise, Nathan lit up his head and eyed the ocean from the opening in the hall. He could also see Sandover Village lying by the coast. This made him think about the people they had met in the village, including Crash and his friends. He suddenly ran for the way which the duo came from, making Lara confused.

"Where are you going, Drake?" she asked while trying to catch up with him. The young man watched her over his shoulder. He had also stopped running.

"There is still a way I can help the people of Sandover! I brought this upon and it's my fault. That's why I am willing to help them now that they need someone to lean! Furthermore, my actions have probably sent a signal to Colonel Radec about our true loyalties. He will attack Sandover, so we must help the villagers!" Nathan declared and continued running.

Lara was full of questions about how he could do this. But regardless, she followed him, for she knew that Nathan would never back down from helping people in need. He has showed her it when they rescued Crash and his friends.

* * *

_Samos' hut, Sandover Village_

The old sage was studying the beaming light at the mountains with his telescope. This was indeed very bad, not just for the two explorers, but for them as well. He knew the consequences of taking such artefacts recklessly.

"I pray to the Precursors that a hope will rise up and that Azulmona show mercy towards us" Samos said with sadness in his voice.

But his watching was suddenly interrupted by steps coming up to his room. He turned around to see his daughter Keira panting after running up the stairs at such speed.

"Keira….what's happening?" the old man asked his daughter who was trying to catch her breath. He could also notice a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Dad….we're in grave danger! There's a large battleship…from the Sony Organization….heading towards the village!" she said the words out loud, much to Samos' outrage and shock.

"WHAT! SOUND THE ALARM, IMMIDEATLEY! EVERY VILLAGER MUST BE WARNED ABOUT THIS!" Samos commanded her daughter and she did that without hesitation by heading to the horn outside the hut.

Samos ran for the hut's terrace and got a terrified view of what was out in the ocean. A large battleship with advanced weaponry floated towards Sandover's coast at a fast rate. This made the old sage grit his teeth.

* * *

_On-board the Sony Organization battleship_

Colonel Radec stood on deck while inspecting the ship's cannons which were already prepared for fire. He was accompanied by the battleship's cannons with something important to say.

"Sir, we have discovered this village lying at the coast of this island where the light comes from. It does must be a village of exiles, but it doesn't seem hostile, given the lack of defences" the captain informed him.

"I see….but I have a reason to suspect that this village must harbour Mr Drake and Mrs Croft somewhere, based on what we saw on the radar" Radec expressed his opinion upon Sandover.

"Then what are you orders? Shall we fire? The cannons are at your disposal" the captain asked, making the colonel reach his hand in front of him.

"No….not yet, captain. We are only interested in capturing Mr Drake and Mrs Croft, not some foul pacifists! However….we could perhaps make a trade with them regarding this matter. But only if you are up for the challenge" the colonel said while coming up with an idea.

"Oh I'm listening, sir! It sounds very creative to me. We should test it out!" the captain complimented his superior.

* * *

_At the centre of Sandover_

Jak, Ratchet and Spyro were all running through the fleeing villagers who didn't how what to do about this unexpected surprise. They wanted to see of what battleship they were really dealing with. As they neared the docks, they could spot most of the village's leading figures standing in a bow. They did so because they were waiting for someone to arrive.

"Keira, old man, what's going on here?" Jak asked his childhood friend as well as her father.

"There's someone coming to us by a boat, Jak. And they say they want a ceasefire" Keira answered.

"What? You gotta be kidding me! If you come up to a village with a freaking battleship, then that doesn't seem like those fellas want a ceasefire!" Daxter shouted outraged by Keria's answer.

"Settle down, Daxter! Just let Samos do the talking here" Ratchet tried to prevent him from flipping out.

"But the big question is what they are here for? Could it be that they seek something from us?" Clank asked everyone while expressing his thoughts.

"It could be, Clank. But I am curious to find out what that is" Samos answered and stepped in front of the bow of villagers.

As the small boat approached the docks, the captain of the battleship went on the wooden platform accompanied by two Helgahsts and two large Chimeras with deadly arsenal and advanced protection. They went up to the village slowly never taking off his gaze on the villagers. As the group approached them, everyone except for Samos and those around him backed a little further.

"Villagers, I am the captain of the battleship docked just outside your coast and we are from the Sony Organization, but I assure you that we don't seek any confrontation with you. In fact, my superior Colonel Mael Radec has sent me along with my guards as a delegation to you. Now before I continue which one of you is the mayor if this village?" the captain asked while eyeing all the villager's standing in front of them.

Samos slowly stepped forward, never taking off his eyes at the captain and his guards. The captain took notice of the old sage and eyed him, as did the guards.

"I am the mayor of Sandover Village: Samos Hagai. Now you may continue your explanation" Samos said while firming his grip on the staff.

"Why thank you so kindly, your Excellency. Now let's move on to pressing matters" the captain replied.

Keira, Jak, Ratchet and Spyro stood behind Samos' back, hoping they would be able to act as protectors should anyone try attack him.

"State your business, captain. What brings your floating fortress to our village?" Samos asked although the captain wasn't keen to listen to what the sage said.

"Well the thing is: we are actually looking for two persons who have gone missing in the last few days. They were on-board our ship but somehow vanished without a trace. But our communications told us that they had visited your village and were given hospitality" the captain explained, much to Samos' uneasiness.

"What type of gender are they? And what are their names?" Samos asked while trying to play curious.

"It is a male and a female, while their names are Nathan Drake and Lara Croft respectively" the captain revealed.

Jak, Ratchet and Spyro widened at what the captain just said. He was actually speaking about the two explorers who had saved them from nearly drowning.

"They are after those two who saved our asses from the storm? I don't believe it!" Jak thought in his head. He tried not to look like he knew who they were.

"This is really bad! We don't even know where they went…..unless" Ratchet thought while taking a brief glance at the light shooting towards the sky.

"I hate to disappoint you, honourable captain. But neither we nor any of these villagers have ever seen a certain Nathan Drake or a Lara Croft. There must've been some miscalculations on your radar" Samos answered as honest and wise as he could.

The captain merely stood crossing his arms. It was apparent that Samos' answer didn't satisfy him. Within two seconds he snapped his fingers and the two large Chimeras aimed their weapons at Samos and co. The other villagers watched this with fear in their eyes. The captain stepped a little bit forward.

"I advise you not to mince words, old man. I am actually more understandable than our superior the colonel. So we are gonna have a little trade with you!" he declared much to Samos' outrage. Jak and the others wanted to head straight towards the captain and teach him a lesson, but Samos motioned them two back down.

"I already told you! We don't know or have seen these two you're after! What good do you think that will do?" Samos asked with a slowly angry voice.

"But old man, you haven't yet heard what I'm about to offer you. So how about you shut that clever mouth of yours so we can…." The captain was interrupted by Jak's angry voice.

"How about you assholes stop trash-talking our leader and show us some damn respect!? You have no right coming to our home barking with demands!" Jak said angrily while pointing his finger at the group. His friends stared at him with widened eyes while Samos only closed his eyes.

As much as the guards wanted to actually punch the living hell out of the young elf, their leader restrained them from doing so.

"I will pretend I didn't hear that! But one more insult and I will personally knock that idiot's head clean off!" the captain warned Samos while pointing to Jak.

Jak continued to give the team dirty looks. But all of a sudden, Keira slapped his face. This made him very confused. She eyed him disapprovingly.

"The hell was that about!?" Jak asked lowly, but he got no answer, only a disapproving glance from Keira.

"Okay captain, now what is it you want from us?" Samos asked.

"You have two options: the first is that you hand over Nathan Drake and Lara Croft to us. If you do that, we will leave your precious village in peace. But if you chose not to agree on our terms, we will have no choice but to destroy your village and establish a camp so we can search for those two ourselves. Does that sound fair?" the captain asked the sage while he was finished with explaining his terms.

"Dad….you can't seriously agree on this! They might be lying!" Keira whispered to her father.

Samos stood watching the ground for a few seconds. But he suddenly eyed the group with an angry and determined look on his face. He then pointed his staff at the captain, who was outraged about this.

"Tell your colonel that we haven't seen nor heard of any Nathan Drake or Lara Croft! Now that I've given you an honest answer, I demand you and your superior turn around that floating fortress and leave! We exiles have no intentions of involving ourselves in your Wachief's scheming! So don't make repeat myself: BE GONE!" Samos suddenly hit the staff on the ground this creating a small earthquake that even scared the captain and his guards. Samos stood his ground eyeing them with strict eyes.

"You….DAMNED FOOL! How dare you treat us with such disrespect! I shall return to the colonel and next time we meet…..I WILL PUT A BULLET BETWEEN YOUR EYES!" the captain made a dark declaration but Samos was not intimidated, neither were the villagers standing around him.

"So that's it then! You must go back to your leader before you attack us!? What a big pussy!" Jak taunted him while smirking and Ratchet and Spyro did the same thing.

"Yeah, you're all a bunch of cowards!" Daxter joined in.

The captain ran towards Jak in a fast speed while drawing out a knife. He was about to cut the young elf, until Jak delivered a powerful punch at the Helghast's stomach. It was too fast for him to notice that attack. The captain lied on the ground while groaning in pain.

His guards aimed their weapons at the aggressive elf. Suddenly one of the Helgahts got knocked out by Ratchet's omniwrench. He had thrown it like a boomerang. The Lombax smirked while catching his omniwrench.

"Ops…where did that come from?" Ratchet asked mockingly.

The other Helghast was stung in his butt by Spyro's horns which made him scream like a girl. The dragon then proceeded to breathe flame at the running Helghast. Spyro forced a mischievous chuckle on his face.

"Hah! Don't take it personal, dude! It's just my way of having fun!

The two Chimeras who wore more dangerous weapons stopped preparing them at the sight of Jak loading his Peacemaker. Daxter joined in the fun.

"Smile for the camera, assholes!" Daxter taunted them while watching the large ball of energy being loaded.

As the ball was released from the gun's grip, it headed straight towards the two Chimera's who were too slow to retaliate. The energy ball hit them.

* * *

_In the jungle, near the ruins of Azulmona's temple_

As Crash was nearing the temple, he stopped when he thought he heard a noise. It was almost as someone called out his name. He turned around and smiled. It was none other than Sly Cooper, a friend who Crash could trust and count on.

"Hey Crash, good I found you! You better hear this! There's a battleship or something docked near the village" Sly explained, much to Crash's surprise.

"A battleship, that sounds awesome!" Crash said, but he noticed that Sly wasn't impressed.

"Actually it's bad news, because the battleship is from the Sony Organization" Sly revealed, making Crash outraged.

"What? But why are they here?" he asked.

"I don't know, for I was actually gonna ask THOSE two about that" Sly said and pointed his finger towards Crash's direction. The bandicoot turned around and saw Nathan and Lara running towards them from the temple. He smiled.

"Hey you two, remember me?" Crash called out to them while waving his arms. Both Nathan and Lara stooped by them and smiled.

"Ah it's you again. Crash Bandicoot, was it?" Nathan asked. Crash nodded in return.

"But we can't say we have met this racoon before. Who might you be?" Lara asked. The raccon lifted off his head in respect and bowed to her.

"The name's Sly Cooper. And I have a couple questions I would like to ask you about…." Before he could continue Nathan cut him off.

"I will answer them on the way to the village. We must hurry! Sandover is in grave danger and it's not just Colonel Radec!" Nathan explained with caution.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: That was chapter 5. I will try getting in touch with this story. I will be mostly focused on Trouble in the East, but this is a good place to take a break from the world of anime and manga.**


	6. Time is Short

**Author's note: This chapter will be a flashback chapter told from a different perspective. I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Time is Short**

_At the centre of Sandover Village, Wumpa Islands_

The captain of the Sony Battleship was in complete disarray. He hadn't predicted that some villagers were capable of standing up to fight, even against his own men. Having just lost them to Jak, Ratchet and Spyro, the captain was now tied up and held captive by the villagers. He was engaging in a conversation with Samos while being tied up.

"YOU…YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR HUMILIATING ME LIKE THIS!" the captain shouted with anger at the old sage.

"Quit your whining! He will do exactly as you wanted, only the other way around" Samos answered, making the captain outraged.

"I get it! You cowards plan to kill me while being tied that is!" he retorted, but he was suddenly banged on his head by Jak's fist.

"You keep speaking bullshit and I will punch that whiney face of yours!" Jak said threateningly while sitting on the captain's level.

"YEAH, LET HIM HAVE IT JAK! BEAT HIM UP!" Daxter encouraged his partner, but Jak ignored him.

"So what do we do now, old man? Shall we negotiate with this colonel-dude about this guy?" Ratchet asked Samos, who was thinking deeply.

"I can't say for sure if that will work, Ratchet. But for now, dealing with those aggressors is the least of my concerns" Samos answered with honesty. This made those around him confused.

"But Master Samos, this colonel he was talking about sounds like a very ruthless man. He might not be interested in a dialogue with us" Clank advised the old man.

"You have been acting strange for some reason. Has it something to do with that light up in the mountain?" Spyro asked, causing Samos to sigh in distress.

"Dad, be honest with us here! What is it that bothers you?" Keira wanted an answer from her father.

As much as the old man didn't want to tell them, he felt that he needed to. He couldn't hide it from everyone around him any longer.

"Those two strangers who rescued you four idiots yesterday said they were looking for a special artefact that would help them end the conflict between King Mario and Warchief Kratos. I admired their cause, but I didn't mention what that artefact was" Samos revealed, making those around him sound interested.

"But what is up there in the mountains? I know it's a temple, but what is so special about it?" Jak asked while sounding confused.

"That temple was built by the creator of this world's oceans herself: Azulmona. She desired a place where her most valued creation would be safe" Samos explained.

"Wait….Azulmona…..her most valued creation. Then that would be…..the Orb of Azulmona! Are you saying that the orb has been here all the time?" Keria asked surprised. Her father nodded.

"But what's so special about that orb? I mean does it glow or something?" Spyro asked the old sage.

"More than just what you said, young dragon. Azulmona constantly struggled in taming the oceans, so she created the orb so that she could contain all the ocean's anger and rage inside it. As such, no one was to ever touch them!" Samos explained.

"Listening to this, I take it those two strangers must've touched the orb, which would explain the light coming from the mountain. But what happens now? Will this one coincidental touch affect the oceans?" Clank asked while expressing concern.

"I am afraid so, Clank. When one person touches the orb, the anger lying inside it will come after that person. By doing so…a large tsunami will head towards whatever location Nathan Drake stands on. He is marked for death" Samos revealed grimly thus shocking everyone.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!? THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE! HE CAN'T DIE JUST FOR TOUCHING AN ORB! THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" Ratchet said outraged.

"And all he wanted was to find a way to stop bloodshed. He doesn't deserve such punishment!" Keira also expressed her thoughts.

Suddenly, they could all hear the laughter coming from the Helghast captain. He laughed loudly, as if he was watching a comedy show.

"What's so damn funny?" Jak asked angrily.

"How dramatic this is! To think that idiot would actually go to such lengths to end a conflict. What an imbecile! You can't find piece through dusty relics! Gods don't make peace, just ask our Warchief about this!" the captain sarcastically remarked while badmouthing Nathan. Most were not pleased with this. "Oh come one, don't be so ignorant! He brought this upon himself! He could've become a worthy successor to Kratos. But instead, he threw it away for his baseless cause. He will never be…AAARGH!" the captain suddenly stopped speaking, once he was given a powerful punch by Nathan.

This made the captain fall unconscious while still being tied up. Nathan and Lara had just arrived back in Sandover, accompanied by Crash and Sly. Spyro and Ratchet in particular were happy to see them.

"Hey there people! Good to see you again" Nathan said.

Daxter suddenly eyed Lara and was trying to impress here by blowing her a kiss. The brunette noticed this and huffed at him gruffly. But still, Daxter tried, this time by flirting dirty.

"Well hello there, Miss Cougar! Mind if I use your boobies as my pillows?" he flirted with her, only for Lara to actually throw a knife at him. With tough luck, he dodged by climbing off Jak's shoulder. But he got back and was impressed by her. "Now that's a REAL cougar! Grrrrrrrr!" the young ottsel added.

"Why do I always get involved in your near-death experiences?" Jak asked, as he was actually a bit shaky after Lara had tried to hit his partner with a knife. Fortunately, it didn't hit his shoulder.

"And there's Crash and Sly too. I thought you had gone home or something" Samos remarked.

Crash suddenly eyed the old man and took a few steps towards him. Sly did the exact same thing. They gave the old man very dirty looks, causing Samos to stare confused at them.

"What's with the angry looks? We have just dealt with invaders here and there's a battleship docked next to Sandover! I don't have time for anything stupid!" Samos barked, but Crash and Sly didn't back down.

"You knew about it! You knew what consequences Nathan would face if he ever sought out the temple in the mountain, didn't you?" Crash asked with angry tone, thus worrying Nathan and Lara.

"Easy there, pal. It's not like that I want to pin the blame on someone. That will only waste our time" Nathan tried to reason with Crash.

"I did what I had to do, young bandicoot! To my defence, I was clinging on to a hope that we would eventually stop living our lives as an exile! You, who usually slack off and do nothing important for others, have no right to claim you know better than I do!" Samos retorted back and slammed his staff on the ground.

"You might be this village's mayor, but you shouldn't act with dishonesty. Rather, you should've act with honesty and humility" Sly pointed out, but Samos was not convinced.

Lara and Nathan suddenly stood in the middle of the sage and his two students. Both sides eyed this with surprise.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU THAT BICKERING AMONGST OURSELVES WON'T GIVE US ANY GOOD RESULTS!? FOCUS ON OUR CHALLENEGS LYING AHEAD OF US, DAMNIT!" Nathan shouted with anger, making everyone around them stunned. No one dared to speak, until Lara spoke up.

"Yes, we did a mistake! However, Drake here says he won't give up helping your people so easily! Right now, there are two challenges lying ahead of us. The first one: the battleship docked outside. You may have taken out the captain, but it won't be long until Colonel Radec gets wind of this! He will launch an assault on Sandover" Lara explained grimly thus shocking everyone.

"You're right. We must deal with them before they start causing mayhem in Sandover" Ratchet agreed.

"But what would the second challenge be? Has it something to do with Mr. Drake over there?" Clank asked and both Lara and Nathan nodded at him.

"I am afraid so. Perhaps Drake can explain how he will deal with this, considering that he was the one who touched the orb" Lara stated and Nathan took a few steps forward to explain.

"I know this may sound incredibly crazy to you, but I will make sure the tsunami won't reach Wumpa Islands!" Nathan said with determination in his voice.

"But how do you expect to do that? A tsunami is large and long enough to reach the islands!" Keria pointed out to him. Surprisingly, Nathan smirked in return.

"I don't care if it's large or long. I'm still gonna find a way to prevent you from suffering all of this. After all, you are a part of Sony's future" the brown-haired man said, causing Crash and his friends to widen at his words.

"But shouldn't we find a way how to deal with the battleship first? I mean, that would probably be the best for us to do at this rate" Spyro suggested and everyone agreed.

But before they could come up with an investigation plan, they could hear the sound of something disturbing coming from the unconscious captain. Something was beeping on him. As Nathan, Lara, Crash and Sly got closer to see what it was, they all widened. The captain had a communicator in his right hand, which was used to give the information back to the battleship. This looked really bad.

"AW SHIT! WE ARE FINISHED!" Nathan shouted with anger.

"THE CAPTAIN HAS BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH COLONEL RADEC! HE IS SIGNALLING THE RIGHT TO ATTACK!" Lara shouted out towards everyone, and they all become shocked.

But as they tried to run away, large blasts occurred around the village. Those blasts set buildings on fire. The battleship had begun firing its weapons while sending out reinforcements. It was apparent that they would now raze the village to the ground and try to establish an outpost for the Sony Organization.

* * *

_On the bridge of the battleship_

Colonel Radec observed the siege happening from the bridge, gazing on the fire by standing close to the window. Suddenly a subordinate of his approached him with respect.

"Lieutenant, is my boat operational?" the colonel asked him, never turning around to face him.

"Yes sir! You are free to use it as you please. I have also commissioned an elite squadron to accompany you to Sandover" the lieutenant added.

"Good, then we better make landfall upon this blasted plateau. Now that we have showed them our response to disrespect, we shall confront them, in order for us to teach them a few lessons about respect" Radec explained.

"What do we do with Nathan Drake and Lara Croft, sir?" the lieutenant asked his superior. Radec walked towards the bridge's exit, but stopped to give him an answer.

"When you see them, keep them alive, but captive! I really want to ask them a few questions about….this LIGHT before we dispose of them" Radec answered and the lieutenant saluted with a yes.

But before they could even begin their move, they could suddenly feel an earthquake even though they were out in the water. This shocked the colonel and his subordinates.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL IS THIS!?" he asked with anger and outrage.

* * *

_Back in Sandover Village's centre_

The earthquake could be felt from the people on land as well. Buildings started to crumble thanks to the quake's effect. And just as most of the villagers were dealing with buildings on fire, thanks to the battleship's destructive cannons.

Samos tried to communicate with the earth itself to see what the problem was. The others however, freaked out, especially Daxter.

"AAAAAAHHHHH! AN EARTHQUAKE! AN EARTHQUAKE! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Daxter ran around while screaming like a little girl.

"Now this is seriously messed up! Is this part of the punishment you received?" Jak asked Nathan who himself was unaware of what to say in return.

"I don't know but I don't think this earthquake affects only this area around the islands!" Ratchet butted in with his assumption.

"But this isn't an ordinary earthquake is it?" Spyro asked concerned.

Nathan and Lara were trying to figure it out, but they couldn't, given the fact that they didn't possess much knowledge about nature disasters.

Samos was done communicating with the earth itself and Keira approached him.

"All the villagers must have fled to the jungle. The attack from the battleship and the earthquake has made the village inhabitable. I just hope we can fix the damages somehow" Keria explained. "But did you get any words from the earth itself?" she suddenly asked her father desperately. She noticed how shocked his face was.

"Yes I did. But they told me that they weren't controlling this earthquake. No, there isn't supposed to be an earthquake when touching the orb! Someone must've called it…..in order for the tsunami to make it to this location faster than what it's supposed to" Samos revealed thus shocking his daughter and those around him.

"But who in the hell would do such things!? Playing with natural disasters is catastrophic!" Crash snapped out in frustration.

"I agree, and for some reason, I don't think its Colonel Radec's doing. No, someone else must have done it!" Sly remarked grimly while adjusting his hat.

"But who could it be!? Is it the Segendians!? Are they nearby the islands!?" Samos asked with desperation, but he was calmed down by his daughter.

"Let's not jump to conclusions now, people! We better do something quick before we all end up in a watery grave!" Nathan suggested.

"EVERYONE LOOK, IN THE HORIZON BEHIND THE BATTLESHIP!" Lara cried with fear and everyone did what she said. They all gasped at what they saw.

In the distance behind the battleship, what was once just a flat floor of blue water was now covered by a large seawall floating towards Sandover's location. It was very rouge while aggressively pushing itself to reach its destination. There was no doubt about it that this monstrous and watery seawall…..was the tsunami!

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: Well this is turning out to be dramatic. And as I said this would be different from Trouble in the East's beginning. But the rest of this saga is yet to be determined. For those of you who miss characters from Nintendo, Sega etc. Don't worry, as soon as this part of the story is finished, we will explore the video game world outside the Wumpa Islands. And of course, Crash is essential to the plot, as well as Nathan.**


	7. Unleash Your Potential

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Unleash Your Potential **

_Sandover Village, Wumpa Islands_

There it was! It was the terror of the tides expressing its wrath upon a village of peaceful people. The tsunami was on the same size to that of a large wall. But for Crash, Nathan and the others in the village centre: it was really bad.

"Damn…..so this is it, huh?" Nathan cursed lowly while standing beside his partner.

Crash got closer to Lara's side so he could get a look at the large tsunami riding the ocean like it was dominating it. His eyes were filled with shock, as were others close to him.

"Shit….that's the tsunami!" Crash cursed while eyeing the horizon.

"THAT THING'S HUGE!" Daxter exclaimed while gasping at what he saw.

Samos got up and began expressing his troubled thoughts. "This looks bad. That earthquake has made the tsunami much bigger and longer! I'm afraid the whole islands will be swallowed up by the sea!" the old sage said with concern.

"But there must be a solution to this! You always come up with one, dad" Keira tried to put some encouragement into her father, who sighed deeply in return.

"My little girl, this is a serious matter. As you may know, I am not powerful enough to stop a tsunami at this size! And even if I and the other sages were to combine our powers, it wouldn't be enough to stop it. This is the power of the gods, Keira" Samos said in return. Keira wasn't backing down from this.

"Listen to yourself, dad! You're supposed to be Sandover's mayor and guardian, yet you give up all hope so easily! I can't believe I looked up to you!" the young girl retorted. Samos was for the most part ignoring her outburst.

Crash stood in the middle and thought worriedly about his promise to Coco and Crunch. He had sworn to come back to them safe and sound, but this time, it was different. "I can't fail them…if I do…..then they will never trust me again" Crash thought into his head.

Meanwhile, Spyro, Ratchet, Jak and Sly were trying to figure out quickly how to escape all of this. But that was technically a useless thing to do, considering that it was impossible to escape from a deadly wave.

"What the hell do we do!? If we try to flee to higher ground, then we just end up dead as much as we do down here! That tsunami's huge!" Ratchet exclaimed with frustration.

"We know that, Ratchet. But what options have we?" Clank asked in his concerned voice.

"Oh, I have an idea! How about Clank transforms himself into the giant robot-thingy and then we ride on his back while he's flying. That's a simple solution, huh?" Daxter asked gleefully while suggesting to everyone, who was completely dumbfounded about what the ottsel just said. Daxter then slumped in defeat. "Gee, thanks for the enthusiasm, douchebags!" Daxter remarked sarcastically with his furry arms crossed.

"Anyway, I'm afraid only a miracle can save us now…if it exists that is" Spyro told his friends.

Crash was standing to watch the tsunami edging closer towards the coastline. He was afraid, wishing everything would just go away. He slowly began expressing his frustration by gritting his teeth. But while feeling stressed, Crash could feel his heart beating faster. This made him fell on the ground and everyone around him rushed to see what was wrong.

"Crash…..you alright!?" Nathan asked shocked. He could see the young bandicoot lying on the dirty ground while beginning to move his body.

"Did you have a heart attack or something!?" Spyro asked while expressing his deepest concern about Crash's well-being.

But the young bandicoot could feel his body trembling all of a sudden. There was something else to it. It was almost as he felt that he was getting stronger. An orange aura began developing around the young bandicoot, and those around him stepped back in shock. What was happening to the usually clumsy Crash?

"Wait! Something's happening to him….this aura!" Samos said as he got a closer look at the aura appearing around the young bandicoot.

* * *

_Aboard the Sony battleship_

Colonel Radec has been extremely outraged when he discovered that a tsunami was heading towards him. He walked on deck to get a better view of the wall of water riding on the ocean. But he had ordered his men to prepare the battleship's largest cannons, in hopes of destabilizing the wave. But while waiting for the cannons to be operational, he was thinking about Nathan and Lara and their mischiefs.

"Damn you both, Nathan Drake and Lara Croft! You two have a lot of explaining to do, before I shoot your heads!" the colonel thought while eyeing the tsunami.

His lieutenant sprinted up to him and panted to catch his breath. "Sir…..the cannons are in your commission. What are your orders?" he asked him.

"Fire the cannons at will! I refuse to go down without a duel with Mother Nature! Do whatever you can to destabilizing the wave!" the colonel ordered his lieutenant who saluted in reply.

The wave was getting closer towards Radec's battleship and the Helghast was determined to win over the wave. But could he really succeed? He didn't have time to come up with answers now. It was all or nothing.

"I WON'T GO DOWN SO EASILY! I, MAEL RADEC, WILL SEE TO IT!" the colonel declared with pride and watched as the largest cannons was preparing to fire at the tsunami.

But in the blink of an eye, the cannons were all destroyed. They were put out of commission, much to the colonel's anger and outrage. But it was apparent that someone had destroyed them, but whom.

"Sir, on the top of the bridge, there is someone standing there!" a solider suddenly said while pointing towards the top of the bridge. The colonel was surprised by what he saw.

It was a young bandicoot wearing simple clothes, as well as brown gloves. His strong aura was orange and his eyes had turned themselves into teal. It was actually Crash standing there, and he was crossing his arms while staring towards the colonel with disapproving eyes. Radec became furious and aimed his rifle at Crash.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, PUNK!?" the colonel snapped while demanding an answer. Crash didn't show any reactions to him. "TELL US WHO YOU ARE BEFORE I SHOOT YOU DOWN!" Raded began threatening him, but the young bandicoot still didn't answer.

In fact, Crash was now staring towards the large and deadly tsunami headed towards the battleship and eventually the Wumpa Islands. It was now getting closer to swallow everything, and Crash thought about it.

"The ocean must be eased, otherwise it will swallow the entire world" Crash thought in a surprisingly mature way. "It's a good thing I got those cannons destroyed. Those monsters will never threaten Sandover again" he added while taking a brief glance at the angry colonel pointing his rifle at him. He was growing impatient with Crash's silence.

"STOP TRYING MY PATIENCE AND JUST DIE!" Radec shouted and threw a grenade at the young bandicoot. Crash saw this and caught the grenade by his right hand.

But an explosion appeared once the grenade had been caught. The colonel and his men were satisfied while laughing at the fact the bandicoot had decided to catch a grenade. But once the smoke was gone, Crash stood there, completely unaffected by the grenade's explosion. Radec and his men expressed outrage at what they saw.

"WWWHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!?" the colonel shouted in anger by just looking at Crash standing tall, even after being hit by a grenade.

But Crash was now focusing his attention towards the approaching tsunami and all of a sudden, he dashed towards it by flying. This was indeed special, considering that this power could make Crash fly. The young bandicoot flew fast towards the wall of water, never taking his eyes somewhere else. He was determined to put a stop to all of this. The young bandicoot flew through the seawall and was now surrounded by water all over him.

He soon realised that he could no longer move a muscle, as he was now stuck in the wave. He tried to hold his breath while struggling to move through the water, but it was impossible. The water was now restraining him and he was like a caught prey to it. But the young bandicoot's head hit once he was reminded of the situation, his family, his friends and his home.

"I may not be the smartest here…..but I sure know how to help those who really need it. Coco….Crunch…..Spyro…Jak….Nathan…Lara….and even old-log-in-a-green himself, they all need help. And that's why I'm gonna stop this damned wave, even if it's empowered by some stupid-ass relic! BECAUSE I WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT TOWARDS A DAMNED TSUNAMI!" Crash said while shouting with determination. He would never give up.

The aura around him began glowing brighter and stronger and energies began forming around the bandicoot's body. As Crash shouted with both anger and pain, it affected the atmosphere around him.

From the outside, everyone could see light shining in the wave and it exploded. This made the wave collapse and it disintegrated. The only thing that remained was the bright light, and the only being floating in it.

People on-board the Sony battleship and in Sandover Village were all gasping at what they saw. Crash Bandicoot, an impulsive and clumsy rascal, had stopped a tsunami empowered by the gods.

Colonel Radec was amazed by what he and his men had witnessed. That foolish bandicoot had just saved them from their watery graves, even as they hated to admit it. But they could all see Crash falling into the water. But they were not alone. Crash's friends from Sandover all shouted with despair as they watched the young bandicoot falling down unconscious into the water.

The young bandicoot was sinking. He didn't have enough strength to even swim to the surface. However, he could feel that he wasn't choked by the water. This meant that he wasn't drowning. But inside his head, the young bandicoot could hear a voice calling to him. His eyes closed as he heard it.

"Thank you…..mortal. You have awakened your potential and are worthy of becoming my chosen one" the female voice said.

* * *

_In an underground cavern, somewhere in Segendo_

In these depths, there was a secret meeting between shadowy individuals. They sat around in a ring and prayed in a very unfamiliar language. A blue fire pit in the middle blazed as they prayed. Once they stopped praying, they started to converse with each other.

"It turns out that our speculations appeared to be true. Someone living on the Wumpa Islands carried the Mark of Earth inside him. And who was it? Nothing but a simple bandicoot!" one of them said with irritation.

"But Nathan Drake and Lara Croft were unaware of all of this, weren't they? They foolishly sought out the Orb of Azulmona without knowing the consequences of such actions. They couldn't possible have journeyed to the islands so they could find they one possessing the mark!" another one said with suspicion.

"Idiot, you are beginning to sound ridiculous! Of course those fools wouldn't know of it! They are merely a couple of miserable archaeologists!" another suddenly began scolding his comrade's behaviour.

"ENOUGH!" a voice suddenly snapped, thus stopping the ongoing conversation. They soon noticed that their teacher had returned from his objective: to create the earthquake that would speed up the tsunami, as well as empower it. He carried a large hammer in his right hand. A face of a wolf could be seen on the hammer. "How many times do I have to tell you? During gatherings, do not start bickering!" the teacher added and walked slowly towards the blue flames.

As he stepped into the light, people could see his appearance. He had green skin and wore white clothes. The clothes were used by the shamans of his people. But around his waist, he wore a belt. He was an orc, with long and black hair with two long pigtails hanging from his face.

"Welcome back, Master Thrall" one of the followers said his name with formality. The orc walked slowly towards the fire pit and sat beside his followers. "We just received words of your results. It was splendid" the follower added with a compliment.

The orc grunted while closing his eyes. He thought about the work he had just done. "It was not an easy task, young student. With tough luck, I managed to shield myself from the tsunami" he said with his eyes closed.

"I hate to be disrespectful, master. But why was this necessary? Will this contribute to our cause?" one of the followers asked. Thrall gritted his teeth in anger while thinking about the current events happening in the video game kingdom.

"It will. Hard as it may seem, it will help us. But it is worth it! For years, those larger kingdoms and lordships of the video game community have exploited the smaller ones for their own selfish schemes! We can just take a look at what Segendo and Sony does now. They possess no shame and empathy! We won't stand with King Mario or Warchief Kratos! They both must die…..for the sake of peace" Thrall explained his students who had all different reactions to what he just told them.

But they had one thing in common: their discontent with having the larger kingdoms and lordships oppressing the smaller ones. They would change the society in the video game world, even if it meant resorting to destructive means.

Thrall suddenly rose up from his seat and lifted his hammer in the air. He eyed every student with his blue eyes. "Brothers and sisters let us now put our pain and sufferings aside for now. We must pray to the blue flame. It will cure our sufferings" he said and they all started to pray again in a strange language.

* * *

_On a beach, very far from the Wumpa Islands_

Crash was lying on the wet sand. The ocean was shoring up to him, thus giving him a rude awakening. He shouted how cold it felt, until he realised that he was not in Sandover.

"What the…..this isn't Sandover" the young bandicoot said while looking around. He then decided to explore this unknown place he had arrived in.

"I don't understand all of this…..there was this light and…ARGH THIS IS SO CONFUSING!" Crash shouted while trying to figure out how he had ended up on a sunny beach.

Crash walked up towards a hill and on green fields and soon realized he had arrived into a nice looking palace located by the beach. He was surprised by what he saw.

"It's a palace. Is there someone living in there?" the young bandicoot quizzed while slowly walking towards the palace. "Maybe I can ask them about what this place is" Crash thought in his head while walking.

But as he got closer, he ended up standing in front of a large hedge. It acted as the palace's outer walls. This infuriated the young bandicoot. "YOU GOTTA BE FREAKING KIDDING ME!" the snapped in anger at the large hedge.

But Crash wasn't giving up. He tried to force himself through the hedge, and it was difficult. He struggled in breaking himself through while coughing out leaves that were stuck in his mouth. But as he did that, he could hear feminine laughing in the direction he was headed towards. This convinced Crash that someone was living there.

"Bingo! Now I can ask for some navigation!" Crash exclaimed in his head and proceeded to break through the vines and leaves blocking his way.

Finally Crash got out of the hedge and he fell on his stomach. It was painful, considering that he had landed on bricks. "Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark on my face!" he exclaimed with pain. But as the young bandicoot lifted his head and his jaw dropped to the ground while his eyes widened.

Standing in front of them were two young ladies wearing sexy bikinis. It was a blonde and a brunette. The blonde wore a pink bikini while the brunette wore a yellow bikini. They both stared at Crash shocked. Their cheeks were even blushing by what they saw. Crash began chuckling lightly.

"Ehehehe…..hello" Crash said awkwardly and the women started to scream.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: That was chapter 7. Some of you might wanna know how Crash ended up at this place, but he was floating in the ocean. And as for Thrall, I will eventually explain his reasons for becoming a baddie. Stay tuned for more excitement. **


	8. New Friends

**Author's note: It's been a while since I last wrote on this story. I promise to write more in it now that Trouble in the East is currently on a hiatus. I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: New Friends**

_In a faraway land, in the Lordship of Namco_

Crash had accidentally entered the palace's garden, where a large pool was lying in it. But so were two women in their bikinis. They screamed after seeing Crash, and the young bandicoot was filled with embarrassment.

"Ehhhh…sorry…..my mistake" he said dumbfounded.

The women snapped in outrage by hearing his apology. They couldn't understand any of this. So they both slapped his face, leaving sore marks on Crash's face. The young bandicoot rubbed his face.

"I guess deserved it" he said while rubbing his face. "But did I really scare you girls?" he then asked dumbfounded.

"Of course you did! What's the big deal of sneaking into private property!?" the brunette asked in outrage.

"In case you didn't know, this palace actually has a doorbell!" the blondie said while crossing her arms.

But Crash was given another surprise. It was two muscular men in bathing shorts who had just jumped up from the pool to check on the situation. The first one had reddish-brown hair and the second had slick blonde hair. What was noticeable to the blonde-haired man was the scar that ran across his left arm. As they approached the two women, they chuckled in amusement at Crash's condition.

"Whoa…..I kind of feel sorry for that guy" the boy with the reddish-brown hair remarked while eyeing Crash's injuries. "Those girls sure know how to leave a few marks" he added.

This made both women snap in anger as they saw the two men standing there. The brunette was furious and crossed her arms. "Hwoarang, Steve, how long have you two been standing here!?" she demanded an answer from them.

The one called Steve rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Hey, we also deserve some relaxation here! You promised us, remember?" he said with his British accent.

"That doesn't matter! We are the ones who employed you two here!" the blondie hit back.

While Crash was watching this bickering, he also felt an urge to ask them about where he was. Even though he was not up for it, he had to do this, for his own sake.

"I don't mean to interrupt you or anything…but could some of you tell me where this place is?" he asked them and they all faced him confused.

"You're kidding, right? Don't you know what this place is!?" the brunette asked while feeling insulted by Crash's question.

"Ummmm…..I was washed up to this place by the sea so….." Crash stopped once he noticed how the four people before him began feeling sorry for what he just said. "Yeah, I'm not lying. I was separated from my family and friends thanks to a storm!" he added with irritation.

"Oh, we're sorry!" the blondie apologised and began treating Crash's injuries. "You're free to stay here as you please! We thought you were a pervert who stalked women but you sure don't look like one of them" she noted.

Steve smiled at this and walked over to Crash. "I can tell you where this is. You've just arrived at the sunny lordship of Namco, one of the most prosperous regions in the Kingdom of Segendo" he explained, much to Crash's surprise. The young man then reached his hands towards Crash. "My name is Steve Fox and I am from Namco" he introduced himself.

Hwoarang chuckled and stood aside Steve. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Hwoarang and like Steve, I'm also from Namco" he said while shaking Crash's hand.

Crash mused at this and decided to speak up. "Well those are cool names you got! My name's Crash Bandicoot" he introduced himself. He also noticed that the blondie was finished with treating his injuries, so he thanked her. "Thanks a lot for the treatment, Miss….." Crash stopped, considering that he didn't know her name.

The woman smiled in return. "You can just call me Peach. And this is my best friend Daisy. I am the owner of this summer palace" she said and the brunette waved her hand at him. But her mentioning of summer palace made Crash's eyes widen.

"Hold the phone! Did you just say….summer palace!?" he was out of words, but Peach only nodded her head. "Holy smokes! You must be loaded if you were to own this crib!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Peach nervously chuckled at this. "Let's just say that I come from nobility" she said.

"You don't know who that chick is? This is the Queen of…." Hwoarang was cut by Daisy, who covered his mouth with her hand. Crash only stared at this with confusion, but he was approached by Steve who helped him up on his feet.

"Hey Crash! You probably don't have a place to stay, so you can come live with us as long as you want" he said, making Crash surprised by this.

"Wait…..you would do that…..for me?" the young bandicoot asked.

Hwoarang, who had just let go of Daisy's grip, joined in. "Sure, as long as you don't wreck our home, that is" he said while grumbling. "Previous people who wanted to live with us mastered that. I hope you are different" he said.

Crash smiled at this. He had arrived at an unfamiliar place and he was already accepted among its inhabitants. Things couldn't possibly get any better. And so, Crash politely accepted it and followed his newfound friends.

* * *

_1 hour later, the city of Smileydai_

This city was the capital city of the Namco Lordship. Since the unification of Segendo, people from other lordships had settled themselves in the city. But above all, it was home to the people of Namco. It was very big, with skylines and modern buildings. The Lord of Namco was named Pac-Man. He was a jolly fellow, who only wished the best for his people.

"So this is Smileydai, huh?" Crash asked while watching from his car window. He had never seen a city like this. "It looks so…active" he said.

Hwoarang, who was driving the car, mused at this while watching Crash in the mirror. "Yeah, it is a bustling place of activity" he told him.

"But despite all these corporations and firms settled here, Smileydai doesn't offer much job to those who could use one" Steve muttered while crossing his arms.

This hit Crash in his head, so he decided to ask them. "That reminds me. What kind of professions do you two have? I mean, you didn't educate yourselves to be servants for a couple of sassy girls, did you?" he asked them and both men snapped.

Steve and Hwoarang didn't know what to say, but Hwoarang suddenly came up with an answer. "We're mechanics, actually. I own a bike back at our apartment so we do that" he said, much to Steve's outrage and Crash's confusion.

After driving a while, they finally reached their destination. It was a quite newly designed apartment. Crash began wondering how in the world those two boys could even afford living there.

"Well, here we are! This is home" Steve said while Hwoarang switched off the car's engines. "What do you think, Crash?" he asked the young bandicoot.

"It's looks nice and comfy, but I have a question. Doesn't it cost much living there? I mean, can you guys afford it?" he asked them curiously.

This time, it was Steve's turn to act all-knowing, so he gladly responded to Crash's question. "Don't worry. Aside from working at Peach's castle, we also do some gambling during nights. We always win and have absolutely zero debt" he answered with confidence. Hwoarang only stared at Steve with outrage on his face.

"Since when did we start gambling!?" Hwoarang asked in his head while staring at Steve with disbelief.

_Inside the apartment_

But in an apartment, Crash was sitting on the sofa with Hwoarang and Steve sitting on chairs before him. The thing was….Crash had told them were he specifically was from and their reactions…..well…

"You were living on the Wumpa Islands!?" both Steve and Hwoarang asked the young bandicoot. He only nodded his head as a yes.

"I was, but then those mean guys from the Sony Organization came to our village and then this huge tsunami nearly swallowed the entire islands! And guess what, I was the one who stopped it!" he told them.

But both men didn't seem to quite catch what he was talking about. In fact, they didn't get the picture Crash explained to them straight.

"Maybe you should take this a little slower. You almost sound as if you electrified yourself" Hwoarang said while waving his hand in a silly manner.

Crash became irritated by this. "This isn't a joke! Once I managed to stop that tsunami, I fell into the sea and drifted through it. That's the things I remember" the bandicoot told them.

Steve was beginning to see the picture. "I see it now, Crash. Based upon what you're telling us, you must've had a hard experience" he said while trying to support Crash.

The young bandicoot nodded. "I know that. But for some reason, I don't feel like returning home to the Wumpa Islands" he said and both his newfound friends widened in confusion at this. Crash sighed deeply. "It's not that I don't wanna see my family again, but it's just that…maybe what happened in Sandover…was merely the beginning of something much more sinister" he revealed to them.

"This story you tell us just keeps getting more interesting by the minute. And this Azulmona, maybe she has a better understanding of these hidden threats" Steve remarked. But he eyed Crash with concern in his eyes. "But are you determined to remain hidden, not even letting your family know that you're still alive?" he asked the young bandicoot.

Crash closed his eyes to think before opening them up again. He also let out a sigh. "On that day…..I promised Coco and Crunch that I would just come home to them…..without doing anything stupid" he explained with a hint of sadness in his voice. "But that never happened. Instead, I was lost at sea. However, I will regroup with them someday. But even now, the Sony Organization will begin a witch-hunt for my skin. So no, I must stay hidden…..stay anonymous" he stated his intention while eyeing his friends.

"I see. So you wanna keep a low profile now? Well I can't blame you, considering all the things you've been through" Hwoarang said in support of Crash's choice.

"It's good you have made up your mind, Crash" Steve said. But suddenly, something hit the young man. "Say Crash. Are your familiar with a fighting competition being arranged here in Namco?" he asked the young bandicoot.

Crash felt puzzled as he didn't know what he was talking about. "I'm sorry, Steve but I don't have a clue of what you're saying" he said.

Hwoarang eyed Steve with curiosity. "Slow down. Are you talking about the King of Iron Fist Tournament?" the young man asked his friend who nodded in return. Hwoarang smirked after seeing this. "Heh, it's been a long time since the last one. I'm up for a good fight" he said.

"Is this tournament about fighting?" Crash asked them, wanting to know more.

"Yeah, it's a martial arts tournament hosted by the most powerful and influential firm in Namco: the Mishima Zaibatsu" Steve told him, much to Crash's interest. "The winner of this tournament will not only win prize money, but he or she will also gain access to the Zaibatsu's advanced libraries and use them to whatever you please" the blonde-haired man added.

This suddenly hit Crash in his head, because he thought about something after hearing Steve's explanation. "Libraries…I've got to get access to them!" Crash said while his friends widened with surprise. "Perhaps the Mishima Zaibatsu possesses information about Azulmona, as well as older stories about Segendo" the young bandicoot said.

"Well that's great to hear, because we also plan on entering the tournament" Hwoarang said, as he and Steve rose up from their chairs. Crash eyed them with wondering eyes.

"I think it's time we were open towards you, Crash. The truth is: we aren't gamblers. We are actually fighters" he revealed and suddenly began showing off some of his fighting style. This made the young bandicoot amazed. "I'm a professional boxer" he said.

Hwoarang then began showing some of his fighting moves to Crash. "And I train in the art of Tae Kwon Do" he said. But he suddenly grumbled. "However, the master who taught me all of this is a big dope" he sarcastically remarked while thinking about his teacher.

"I don't have any fighting styles…but I am athletic" Crash said with embarrassment.

"That doesn't matter, Crash. Your demonstration of strength will impress the tournament organizers" Steve said with an encouragement.

* * *

_The HQ of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Smileydai_

Night befell upon the city, but there was light in every skyscraper, especially this one. This large skyscraper made of glass and stone, served as the headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu. It was considered one the most influential corporations in Namco, if not the entire of Segendo.

On the highest floor was where the office of the Zaibatsu's CEO could be found. The one who was sitting by his desk was a young, raven-haired man in his twenties, dressed in black coat and black pants. He was reading something on his technological advanced computer. That young man was the current CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu: Jin Kazama.

Even though Jin was related to the namesake Mishima clan by blood, the young man refused to adopt that name, considering the issues he had with his family members from his paternal side. He took the surname Kazama after his mother, who he loved deeply. Tragically, his mother was allegedly murdered by a foul monster and Jin swore revenge by defeating that monster in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. But that was when he was in his late-teens.

"Mr Kazama, you have Nina Williams visiting you" an electronic voice from his office's monitor called out to him. Jin didn't move his gaze, continuing staring at the computer's screen. However, he did respond.

"Very well, let her in" he said lowly and the door to his office opened. In came a woman with blonde hair. She was dressed in black leather suit. Even though she looked like in her twenties, she was biologically in her forties. She was Jin's must trusted bodyguard and assistant: Nina Williams.

"It's good to be here again. It's going to be great relaxing now after all this stress" Nina said while sitting on his table. "However, the visit to Mushroompolis was a success. The T.F.C Summit went smoothly" she then revealed to her boss, making him chuckle.

"Good, that's the exact words I was expecting from you, Nina Williams" he said with a compliment. Nina accepted it as if it was nothing. But Jin's face was fixed to that of seriousness. "However, there is no time for us to take vacation just yet" he said.

"You're talking about the upcoming tournament, is that so?" Nina asked her boss, as he closed his eyes to think.

"The reason why this tournament will be different from the previous ones is the fact that people living outside the Namco lordship is allowed to participate. That means fighters across Segendo will journey to Smileydai to test their strengths" he noted, still closing his eyes.

He then opened them and clicked on his computer's keyboard. The screen then showed him a map of the Kingdom of Segendo. It was a satellite image of the country's areal. Nina walked over to see the map on the screen.

"There is without any doubt that fighters from the Sony Organization will participate. However, I don't think Warchief Kratos would show up himself" Nina remarked while observing the screen.

"I agree. Tensions have been growing between Warchief Kratos and King Mario lately" Jin noted and suddenly showed him and Nina a news website where the title of a case was the following: A CHAIN OF ISLANDS NOW UNDER SONY CONTROL. It showed them a picture of Helghasts and Chimeras marching across the shores of the Wumpa Islands. "This case just came up yesterday and from the looks of it, Kratos has now gained new allies" Jin remarked while eyeing the case.

"If I can come up with a suggestion, how about you and I are present when the competitors enter the tournament? With that, we can collect information about the various fighters and keep a better eye on them" Nina suggested to her boss.

Jin paused to think about what the blonde-haired woman suggested to her. After a couple of minutes, he eyed her with determination. "Very well, we shall do that. However, there is more that bothers me with regard to this tournament" he said while Nina showed understanding. "Since we are the arrangers of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, the G Corporation will without a doubt send in fighters to participate" he said while thinking about the Mishima Zaibatsu's rival.

Nina smirked in return. "I know. Kazuya and his slut Anna won't rest until he gets his hands on you and the Zaibatsu. At the T.F.C Summit, no representatives from the G Corporation were seen. It obvious that they were too busy plotting our downfall as the summit commenced" she explained with sarcasm in her voice.

Jin rose up from his seat and walked towards the window, where he could spot the nice view of the Smileydai skyline. He stopped and took a minute watching it. This always helped him thinking through things that were complicated.

"For some reason, I hope Kazuya actually shows up during the tournament. If so, we will finally be able to settle our score once and for all" Jin said lowly while gazing out.

Nina stood a few meters behind him and crossed her arms. She looked at him as she felt concerned about his ambitions. "Careful what you wish for, Jin Kazama" she said, although Jin didn't seem to care for her words.

* * *

_Steve and Hwoarang's apartment_

Crash had fallen asleep inside his room, but Steve and Hwoarang were still awake. They were sitting by the kitchen table, drinking some Pepsi. They were speaking to one another in a low voice, considering that they didn't want to wake up Crash.

"So what are your reasons for entering the tournament, other than kicking ass and taking names?" Steve asked his buddy, who only chuckled in return.

"What do you think? The reason is simple. I wanna have a perfect fight with Jin Kazama himself" he said while taking a slurp. "That arrogant douche has been bugging me for the last few years" he added while thinking about his long-time rival.

Steve mused to himself while eyeing Hwoarang's bitterness over Jin. He didn't quite understand why he was so determined to fight Jin, the current CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu. However, as much as he hated to admit it, Steve wished his reason for entering the tournament could be similar to Hwoarang's.

The red-haired man eyed his friend with a questionable look on his face. "Speaking of which, what is your reason for entering the tournament this time, Steve. I mean, you won once years ago so what do you want this time?" he asked his blonde-haired friend.

To his surprise, Steve removed the left sleeve of his jacket and showed him the scar across his arm. The blonde-haired man fixed a serious look upon his face while doing so. Hwoarang didn't know what to say, he only watched his friend's scar with remorse.

"Something has been bugging me lately, Hwoarang. Sometimes when I exercise, this pain suddenly appears in my left arm. I did discover many things during the previous tournament. However, there are still things I would like to know more" Steve explained to him.

"Okay…but what would you like to know more?" Hwoarang asked him.

Steve faced the table before lifting his head up to speak with him. "I want to know the connections between me and the Mishima Zaibatsu. After all, they treated me like a test subject" he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "However, I almost feel as if I carry Mishima blood within me" he added, causing Hwoarang to stare at him confused.

"Easy there, Steve. I know you wanna know more about yourself and stuff, but I think such theories aren't the right answers" he said to his blonde-haired friend.

"You know…perhaps you're right" Steve replied and nodded his head.

Hwoarang smiled in return and then stood up from his seat. "Well, I better hit the sack. Tomorrow's gonna be a very long day. Sweet dreams!" he said with humour, before heading for his bedroom.

Before Steve headed to his bedroom, he took one last glance at the scar on his left arm. This made him very cautious. He was determined to know more about this. At first he thought about asking his estranged mother. But he felt it was not right, considering that she was an assassin and now Jin Kazama's bodyguard. No, he had to find out on his own.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: This was chapter 8. Hope you all liked it. I wanted to include some Tekken characters because I think they match the story. The upcoming tournament will feature characters from different games. I may also start writing on how Lara and Nathan has been doing since the incident, but for now, it will mostly be focused on Crash and his newfound friends. Hope you liked Hwoarang and Steve. See you around. **


	9. The King of Iron Fist Tournament

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: The King of Iron Fist Tournament**

_Inside the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ, Smileydai_

It was a large gathering inside the Zaibatsu's HQ. Once Crash and his friends had entered the building, all they could see was tons of people standing in the building's reception. Security was tight and even the Zaibatsu's elite Tekken Force was standing guard in the room. As the trio walked past the various fighters gathered for the tournament, they couldn't help but to feel both excitement and wariness.

This was perhaps the case with Crash, who wondered if people from the Sony Organization would be involved in the fight. "Please tell me none of these guys recognize me from somewhere" he thought in his head concerned.

Steve, dressed in his blue jacket and red pants smirked by seeing this many people. "Well, this is a nice gathering. I bet some of them are old-timers" he noted while trying to figure out their ages.

Hwoarang, dressed in his biker clothes and googles on his head, rolled his eyes by hearing Steve's comment. "You really think age is the only thing that counts? I mean, my master may be old, but he's still a badass fighter" he pointed out while mentioning his teacher.

They went over to the receptionist, who was responsible for accepting fighters into the conference hall. The Tournament would start in the conference hall, with the CEO of the Zaibatsu himself welcoming the fighters.

The receptionist eyed the three fighters sternly. He was a man wearing sunglasses. "Are you three also interested in entering? The reason I ask is because once you're in, there's no way out" he asked them while stating his intention for doing so.

Steve walked to his table and landed his right hand on it. He eyed the receptionist cockily with a grin. "Don't even start, mister. We three are not the type of guys to walk away from such an opportunity" he said while scolding the receptionist. He didn't take his words seriously.

"Very well, if you are that confident, you three may want to sign these papers" he said and then showed them three papers. "You are to write your names on those papers. In a way, we can know for certain if you're in the tournament or not" he explained to them.

The trio then began writing on their papers. Crash was feeling unsure whether this was a good idea. But he remembered the prize of the tournament, so he couldn't back down. He had to win, not for the sake of money, but for the sake of knowledge.

As they delivered their papers to him, the receptionist began reading their names in order for him to know who was who among the trio. "Okay, Steve Fox?" he asked and then saw Steve waving his gloved hand to him. "Very well, Hwoarang?" he said and saw the young man dressed in his biker clothes raise his hand. "And then Crash Bandicoot" he said and saw Crash nervously greet him by waving. The receptionist didn't pay much attention and collected the papers. "Very well, you three may enter the conference hall. However, you must wait a little, because the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu is expected to there to open the tournament" he told them.

As they walked towards the conference hall, Hwoarang began smirking while thinking about his rival. "So Jin's planning on appearing here, huh? I hope he recognizes my face" he remarked with sarcasm.

"I think it's best if we don't misbehave when we enter the conference hall. If we do so, then we're definitely disqualified" Crash suggested to his friends.

Steve smiled at him in return. "Wise words, Crash. That also means we cannot just fight someone we really want to" he said and then began eyeing Hwoarang. "You hear that, Hwoarang? That means you cannot fight Jin the moment you see him in the conference hall" he said, but Hwoarang only rolled his eyes by hearing this.

"Tch, whatever" he said in return while acting like he was not interested.

* * *

_In the conference hall_

The conference hall was enormous. There were many available seats and rows. However, the most interesting to see in the hall was the various fighters gathered for the tournament.

"WOAHHH" the trio said together with amazement in their voices.

At one corner, Sub-Zero and Smoke, two members of the infamous Lin Kuei was leaning against the wall by observing the various fighters. They came from the small lordship of Midway, which had like many other smaller lordships, been integrated into Segendo.

"I feel this tournament will be different than the Mortal Kombat, Sub-Zero" Smoke remarked while observing the other combatants.

Sub-Zero was focused on someone in the hall. It was a ninja dressed in yellow while carrying two swords. It was a ninja from the Shirai Ryu: Scorpion. He was accompanied by a reptilian ninja dressed in green. It was Reptile. Like the Lin Kuei ninjas, they were also from Midway. Sub-Zero closed his eyes after taking a glance at those two.

"Yes. But regardless, we shall not back down" the blue ninja said while crossing his arms. "If we have to go against tougher opponents like Scorpion and Reptile, so be it" he added, making Smoke chuckle in amusement.

"I'm copying you" the grey ninja said, showing that he understood his friend's words. "I can't wait to see you humiliate that pyromaniac in combat" he added with sarcasm.

In another corner, a mysterious white-haired man with a cyber-like appearance. He carried a sword with him. This man was from the Konami Lordship and a member of the infamous operations unit: FOXHOUND. He was known as Raiden.

"All these people…don't stand a chance against me" Raiden thought in his head while eyeing all fighters. "But still, I hope for a worthy adversary in this tournament" he added.

But their amazing view was short-lived, once they could hear loud laughter coming from the right. They turned right and saw two fighters approaching them. The tallest of them was very muscled and had black hair and beard, not to mention the black hair across his chest. He was dressed like a wrestler. The smallest of them on the other hand was fatter and had his blonde-hair tied to a ponytail.

"Look Zangief! There's a runt joining the tournament!" the fat man called out his name while pointing his finger towards Crash, who was only confused by what was happening. "He would also make a nice fur coat!" he added with another joke, still not getting Crash to understand him.

The muscled wrestler grinned while staring at Crash. "Hohohoho, well said, comrade!" he said in a thick Russian accent while laughing at his buddy's joke. "Hey look, Rufus! This little pipsqueak over there seems to be at loss of words. Hahahaha, how charming!" he laughed while calling out the fat man's name.

Crash didn't know what to say in return, but he slowly took a few steps towards them, much to Steve and Hwoarang's caution. The two fighters only stared down at Crash, but the young bandicoot didn't back down. He surprisingly smiled at them.

"Hello. Can I help you with something?" he asked them while trying to be gentle. Steve and Hwoarang only watched this in confusion, while Zangief and Rufus only stared at him dumbfounded. "This hall sure is big, wouldn't you say?" Crash asked them another question.

"What's that stupid runt talking about, Zangief?" Rufus asked his partner who only crossed his arms and grinned by seeing Crash acting this way.

"Hah, don't waste energy on him, comrade! He's just a kid filled with naivety" he insulted the young bandicoot and Rufus began laughing with him.

Hwoarang and Steve could no longer stay silent, so they approached behind Crash and glared at the two fighters. "Hey, what's with this attitude you two have!?" Hwoarang asked them while staring at them dispassionately. "Crash just asked you a couple of normal questions, yet you keep talking piss to him!? Knock it off, already!" he added while gritting his teeth at them.

Both Rufus and Zangief didn't take kindly to Hwoarang's words. Rufus fixed a so-called dramatic expression on his face and confronted him. "What'cha gonna do about it, wide-eyed punk?" he insultingly asked Hwoarang.

This made the auburn-haired man pissed. "You better watch what you're saying, fatass! If not, then I'll make you lose a few pounds by knocking you out!" he threatened him while firming his fists.

Zangief was angered by this, so he stepped beside Rufus to confront Hwoarang. "Nobody talks to my comrade like that!" he sneered but paused once he saw Steve face him. His eyes began widening. "Well, well, what do we have here? The boxing prodigy himself: Steve Fox" he mockingly exclaimed while eyeing Steve.

Steve gritted his teeth in anger, but tried to remain calm. "Fancy that someone like you would know of my reputation" he remarked. But Steve was still glaring at Zangief. "I wonder how your brute strength would stand up to my punches" he said with sarcasm.

The wrestler was not pleased with this. "You little twit! Those punches of yours wouldn't do shit to either of us!" he said and Rufus began laughing with him. "You stand before the one and only ZANGIEF!" he exclaimed while flexing his muscles.

Steve however, only smirked in return. "Whoa! I have to admit that you two guys are much stupider than we first thought. How you did become fighters is way beyond me" he took a jab at them, making Hwoarang laugh with him.

Zangief got angrier and was about to slam Steve, but he stopped. He felt his body shock itself. Rufus was filled with outraged by this and turned around to see who it was. Crash and his friends also did the same thing.

"You should follow the rules here" a voice said. "Save your energy for the match, not here" it said again. It was a young bald-headed man dressed in jeans and a yellow jacket. But he also wore a weapon on his back, which had a rare design. It didn't resemble any weapon at all. The young man smirked while seeing Zangief struggling to compose himself.

Rufus glared at the young man while cracking his knuckles. "Who the hell are you!? And what did you do to Zangief!?" he demanded from him.

The stranger showed him his right hand, which was to Crash and his friends' surprises covered in electricity. What kind of power was that? Rufus however, was not impressed and gritted his teeth by seeing this.

"I used a tiny bit of my electricity to make your angry stop misbehaving. But don't worry, it won't be long until he recovers" he assured him, although it looked like he didn't regret doing it.

Crash and his friends stared at the young man with widened eyes. They were curious to know of this man's ability. He eventually noticed Crash, who snapped in return. To his surprise, the young man smiled at him.

"Is a furball like you also entering this tournament? I hope you have to guts to do so" he asked while stating his reason for doing so. "This tournament will be more than just strength, you know" he added.

Crash was starting to take interest in the man. The way he spoke, it reminded him of someone. And Crash understood who it was. It was Nathan Drake that guy reminded him of.

"What's your name then, pal?" he suddenly asked Crash, who was surprised by this. Even though the young bandicoot was wary of telling his identity to strangers, he felt safe with doing so to this man.

"It's Crash….Crash Bandicoot" he answered while trying to be friendly as possible.

The young man nodded his head in approval, meaning that he accepted his introduction. But he then took off, but not without introducing himself. "It was nice meeting ya, Crash. The name's Cole, Cole MacGrath….from Sony" he said, much to Crash's surprise. Cole then took off.

Once he was gone, Steve and Hwoarang moved closer to Crash, who stood there in silence. "What's bugging you, Crash? Did that dude intimidate you or something?" Hwoarang asked the young bandicoot.

Crash shook his head as a no. "It's not like that. Not only did he say what his name was….but also where he was from" Crash noted while thinking about this conversation. "It's funny, I didn't even say where I was from, and neither did he demand to know. Or could it be…." Crash was filled with confusion in his head.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a voice powered by a microphone. He and his friends could see someone standing on the conference hall's stage. It was a young and handsome man with black-hair. As he began making coughing sounds to the microphone, all the various fighters took their seats. With that, Crash and his friend did as well, sitting not far from the stage itself.

As everyone took their seats, the lights lowered and only the stage was filled with light, thus giving everyone a clear view of the mysterious man.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a great pleasure to see you all gathered here for the annual King of Iron Fist Tournament! I will be this tournament's presenter. You can all call me…..Handsome Jack!" he said and he could hear the cheers from the audience, making him chuckle. He eventually calmed down the audience. "Okay, okay, that was nice of you. But anyway, as some of you may know, the King of Iron Fist Tournament is usually something only people from Namco can compete in. But all of that has changed! This year's tournament will feature fighters all across Segendo!" he declared and the entire audience cheered for him once again.

Crash sat on his seat and pondered with wonder. Was it really true what Jack just said? People from all over the country were now allowed to participate in the tournament. "That sort of explains why this….Cole MacGrath is here" he thought.

Jack smiled with satisfaction while eyeing the audience. "Yes, there are so many people from different places sitting in this hall. There are people from Capcom, Sega, Konami, Midway, Ubisoft and many more. But this may be a surprise here, ladies and gentlemen. We even have people from Sony and Blizzard joining us" he explained to the audience.

Steve was feeling a hint of uneasiness inside of him. Now that so many unique fighters were participating, would he be able to stand a chance against them? After all, he was only a professional boxer. He didn't have any kinds of "extraordinary abilities". He briefly grabbed his left arm and held it tightly. No, he could not have any second thoughts now! He had to proceed…..for his own sake.

As the presentation went on, Hwoarang was getting annoyed by Jack's charisma. He only wanted to see Jin, so he could punch his smug look. Frankly, he could care less about the other opponents. "What a load of crap this is! When is the tournament gonna start for real!?" he asked in his head.

The mood at the stage changed and Jack began clearing his throat before speaking. "And before we can officially open this tournament, I'll leave the stage to the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu himself. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the organizer of this year's King of Iron Fist Tournament…..JIN KAZAMA!" he declared and loud cheering could be heard.

The spotlights were completely focused on Jin, who walked towards the stage and greeted Jack with a handshake. He smiled towards the audience while waving his hand. Some of the women in the audience were completely taken by his handsomeness. However, Jin wasn't alone. Two of his loyal bodyguards were standing on each side. The first one was Nina, but the other was a muscular man with brown dreadlocks. He also wore a black dress. This was a Capoeira prodigy: Eddy Gordo.

"That's the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu? Wow, he looks so….young" Crash was out of words once he caught a glimpse of him. "I expected him at least to be older" he added to his thoughts.

Hwoarang smirked when seeing Jin. "You finally show yourself! I hope you still remember my face" he said to himself.

Steve however, was filled with caution and concern. This was due to the fact that his own mother was now working as a bodyguard to Jin. But even so, he knew very little of his mother and her past. The blonde-haired man also noticed something around Jin. What was that?

Jin took to the speech table lying near him and began his speech with Nina and Eddy standing near him. Jack stood behind them, observing the speech with excitement. "Fighters across our realm, I bid you all welcome to this tournament. It is the tournament that decided which one of us fighters is worthy of becoming the King of all Fighters" Jin explained while welcoming them with enthusiasm.

While standing beside her boss, Nina took her time to get a better look at the fighters sitting on their seats. They were everything, from ninjas to brutish thugs. This made her feel bored. "Tch, what a boring gang we have here, almost as interesting as a circus" he noted in her head while sighing. But there was something which caught her attention. Once she got a look on Steve…..she snapped. Her eyes widened and the memories of the first time they met came back.

Nina remembered how the Syndicate, a criminal organization, had hired her to assassinate Steve. But that was before she realised that the young and ambitious boxer was her own biological son. As a result, she refused to pull the trigger of her rifle and fled from the police who were chasing her.

She wondered why Steve was here. Did he come here to see her? Even so, it was a strange feeling she had when seeing her son sitting there.

"Now let me clear up on what will happen as the tournament progresses. When we reach the semi-finals and the finals, those fighters who have managed so far will be put into different groups. And those groups will compete against each other, until one of them is still standing. The last group standing will face me and if triumphant, wins the tournament" Jin explained, causing some friction among the contestants. However, the raven-haired man urged calm and the audience silenced. "I know some of you are disturbed by this…..but I assure you that it is in our interest to keep a closer eye on each of you sitting here" he revealed to them.

For some reason, Crash felt himself uncomfortable when Jin said that. He didn't expect Jin to be that suspicious towards. Hopefully, he wouldn't recognize who Crash was and where we came from.

Jin stepped away from the table and stood right in the middle of the stage with Nina and Eddy standing guard. Even the Tekken Force had been called. Everyone was confused about this. "There is one thing I would like you to do before you officially enter the tournament! All of you fighters are to stand in line and come up to us one by one. We are gonna read the papers you have signed and with a little help of our device, find out where you are from. If you wish to avoid the device, be honest and tell where you are from!" Jin declared as the Tekken Force stood around the stage with weapons in their hands.

Once he was finished with this declaration, the wall behind him opened. It revealed a secret corridor. This only meant that it lead people to the fighting grounds.

"You heard the boss, people! Now line up and wait for your turns! The tournament officially starts…NOW!" Jack suddenly exclaimed with his microphone.

Crash stood in line behind Steve. He was filled with uncertainty. What was he gonna do? He would have to face his fear and try not to looks like a liar. No, the least he wanted was to get killed before he could see his family again.

It was almost time for Crash and his friends to be checked by Jin and his bodyguards. Hwoarang was first, and the first thing he did when he got up the stage was to give Jin a smug look. Once the raven-haired man saw this, he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Heh, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Hwoarang asked him. "I hope you still remember me, Jin Kazama" he added cockily.

"Of course I do! How could I not forget the same annoying voice and coming from you?" he mockingly asked Hwoarang. "Do you still think your cockiness will be your lifeline in this tournament?" he added another question.

The auburn-haired man smirked in return, never paying attention to Jin's comment. "You still haven't changed. You're still the same douche like you've always been" he remarked and pointed his finger towards Jin. The raven-haired man only stared at him unenthusiastic in return. "Don't think I'm gonna be thrown out this time! I'll reach the top and kick your ass!" he said with confidence.

Jin only closed his eyes in annoyance, pretending he wasn't interested. "Do as you wish, Hwoarang. However, unless you reach the finals…you're not a worthy opponent" he said, much to the auburn-haired man's anger. "Now off you go! There are other people waiting in the line and there's no point in checking you! We know you are from Namco" Jin pointed out to him, thus making Hwoarang filled with embarrassment.

As he took off, Eddy began chuckling to himself over Hwoarang's attitude to Jin. Nina only rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You have a good way of gaining admirers, boss" Eddy jokingly remarked and laughed. Jin only ignored him.

"Based on his behaviour, I seriously doubt a hot-head like him could ever reach to the semi-finals" Nina stated her opinion on Hwoarang.

As his partner continued to the opening, it was now Steve's turn to be checked. Nina widened her eyes through her sunglasses by looking at her son. But Steve didn't look back. He was mostly focused on Jin.

Jin approached Steve and eyed him with curiosity. "You look familiar somehow. From what I can tell, you are from Namco, correct?" he asked while studying Steve's appearance. The blonde-haired man nodded in return.

"You're right. I am from Namco" he said and reached out his hand towards Jin. This made the raven-haired boy confused. "My name is Steve Fox, a professional boxer. It's an absolute honour to meet the Zaibatsu's CEO himself" he exclaimed, but Jin could tell that it was fake. This was perhaps Steve's intention. But still, Jin reached out his hand to Steve's and they did a handshake.

"So you're a boxer, huh? That's original" Jin remarked after hearing Steve's profession. "This is probably the first time I meet a boxer, I have only met kickboxers, but they were….uninspiring" he added jokingly.

Steve surprisingly smiled at this. "You have a charming sense of humour, Jin Kazama. I look forward to see you again, once I've reached the semi-finals, that is" the blonde-haired man said before taking off. As he did, Jin mused to himself. Perhaps Steve could become a worthy adversary.

Then it was Crash's turn. He smiled cheerfully at everyone he saw, especially Jin. "What a terrific speech you had there, sir. My name is Crash Bandicoot. I'm new here so i….." the young bandicoot stopped as Jin and his bodyguards eyed him with suspicion. This made him feel uneasy. The raven-haired man walked closer to study him.

"You seem…..new to me. Could you tell me where you are from?" Jin asked him.

"Oh….I'm from Sony, actually" he said, trying to come up with an answer as quickly as possible.

But there was something Jin wanted to ask him more of. "Where specifically are you from?" he asked while demanding an answer. Crash didn't want him to see that he was sweating so he kept his cool.

"It's a chain of islands called the Wumpa Islands" Crash answered without acting like it was a big deal. Jin's eyes widened at this. He had read the news, about the islands currently under Sony's control.

Jin was eyeing the young bandicoot with suspicion, which made Crash feel very uncomfortable on the inside. Surprisingly, the raven-haired man smiled at them and reached his hand to Crash's. This was getting really confusing.

"Welcome to the tournament, Crash Bandicoot. Off you go, there are others waiting" he said and Crash was feeling relieved in the inside. He then ran to the opening as quickly as possible. But as Crash left, Jin was having a little chat with Nina and Eddy. "This one seems interesting. However, I would like to know more about him" Jin remarked while watching Crash running off.

Eddy shrugged in return. "I don't know, boss. He kinda looks like a fool to be honest" he stated his opinion. "But at least he doesn't look like an agent for the G Corporation. He answered your questions with honesty" the young man added his thoughts.

"But shall we still keep an eye on this "Crash Bandicoot", boss?" Nina asked Jin who only crossed his arms.

"Yes…you may do so" the raven-haired man answered to his bodyguard.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: The tournament starts. As you may have seen, there will be characters from other games joining this tournament. I was kind of inspired by Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournametn arc when writing this. But it is loosely based on Tekken tournaments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next will focus on Crash and the challenges he faces during the tournament.**


	10. Get Serious or Get Lost!

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Get Serious or Get Lost!**

_Outside the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ, Smileydai_

When all the combatants wandered through the secret corridor, they were in for a big surprise. The corridor led them out of the building, but there was more. Once they arrived, they were filled with wonder by what they could see.

It was a park, a park which contained stadiums and buildings. It was filled with roads and grass, almost as if it was an amusement park and a city park combined. However, the entire park was surrounded by highly-technological walls.

Handsome Jack smirked as he got out seeing the combatants getting stunned by what they were seeing. He stood in front of the crowd of fighters and tapped his microphone. All attentions was focused on him.

"Surprised by seeing this, huh? Well I don't blame you for doing so" Jack said while chuckling at their reaction. "This is where the games will be held. It might look similar to an Olympic Park, but in this case, we call it…..a Tournament Park" he explained while showing them what this place was. "The Mishima Zaibatsu had to negotiate with the city's authorities before building this. Hell, they actually bought the entire area and now owns it as part of their property" he added, making the combatants before him very surprised.

Crash and his friends were filled with surprises as they got a view of the Tournament Park. It was fascinating. Even Hwoarang and Steve, who lived in Smileydai, never knew that such place existed beside the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ.

"Stadiums, apartments, gyms and even a hospital….just how rich is the Mishima Zaibatsu!?" Hwoarang asked in disbelief. "Did they actually buy this property from the city authorities!?" he added while never getting the point.

Steve whistled while seeing this. "Whoa…they sure know how to accommodate their visitors" the young boxer remarked.

Handsome Jack moved on and showed the combatants the apartments. They were high-rise buildings, built in a very unique architecture. Every room had their own balconies. "These buildings will be where you folks stay while in the tournament. And let me tell you, these are 100% luxury apartments. Booking a room in these is usually expensive as hell, but lucky for you fighters, everything, including the food is free!" he explained while giving everyone a very satisfied answer.

Crash smiled to himself after hearing this. "Well that sounds legit. It's great to know that we won't need to pay anything. As far as I know, I'm kinda broke right now" he thought while thinking about this. "I better find a way to earn some money while I'm here" he added to his thoughts.

"Okay everyone! Now that you've been introduced to your "playground", you will each be given a room to live in. And don't go off partying or whatever stuff you usually do! You will each be given an opponent to fight against later" Jack declared while all the combatants widened at this. "However, for those of you who wish to fight with a partner, you may come to my office later. I'm about to finish my plans for those two vs two matches" he added.

Steve and Hwoarag snapped once they heard this. They were allowed to fight as partners? This was just great. They both eyed each other and smirked. However, this meant only that Crash would need to fight alone. But the young bandicoot showed understanding to what they were planning.

"It's alright. You can do whatever you wish, I won't pressure you. We will still be friends" Crash said to his newfound friends. "Besides, I kinda wish to fight alone. I just wanna test my skills in comba.t" he added.

The two men smiled at what he was saying. "That's good to hear, Crash. However, if we ever make it to the semi-finals, we three can join together to form a team" Steve suggested.

Hwoarang nodded in agreement this, and so did Crash. "Sounds like a good idea to me. However, I'm telling you: Jin is mine! I'm the one who's gonna beat him in a challenge!" the auburn-haired man said determined, causing his friends to sigh in annoyance by this.

"Whatever you say" Crash said lowly, starting to get tired of Hwoarang's brash attitude.

* * *

_Later, inside the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ_

Jin was eyeing the Tournament Park from his office. From his point of view, the park almost seemed like a LEGO-town. But that was because of the HQ's height, which towered the luxury apartments and even the stadiums. By looking at this, he mused to himself.

"Those fools, the apartments are only for decoration" he jokingly said while staring down. It was obvious that he referred it to fighters, who only entered the tournament to get to live in the luxury apartments without paying.

The sun was going down and it was almost time for the first matches to begin. But Jin was currently waiting for something. It had something to do with all the fighters.

"Mr Kazama, you have Nina Williams and Eddy Gordo visiting you" the office's monitor suddenly stated. Jin still stood there, eyeing the Tournament Park.

"Let them in" Jin replied, never taking off his gaze.

The door opened and in came Nina and Eddy. The blonde-haired woman carried some files with her. Finally Jin went back to his seat and waited for his associates to come with the files. Nina dropped them at his table.

"This is the file over those who will fight as duos during the tournament. We just had them copied by Jack" Nina explained to her boss.

Eddy crossed his arms at this. "I honestly can't stand Jack. He doesn't seem that trustworthy to work with" he said while expressing doubts over the charming man.

Jin only smirked in return. "Have no fear. At this rate, we are the ones running the show here, not him" he assured Eddy. "We will let him do as he pleases, for now. But when the time comes, we'll strike him down" he added, this satisfying his bodyguard.

"I understand, boss" he said while bowing his head in respect.

Jin then proceeded to check on the files. It contained all the combatants' names, as well as their place of origin. He read through them carefully.

_Tina Armstrong and Lisa Hamilton_

_Hayate and Kasumi_

_Steve Fox and Hwoarang_

_Craig Marduk and King_

_Lili Rochefort and Asuka Kazama_

_Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Bosconovitch_

_Ling Xiaoyu and Lei Wulong_

_Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law_

_Ryu and Ken Masters_

_Zangief and Rufus_

_Poison and Hugo_

_Chun-Li and Cammy White_

_Sakura Kusagano and Blanka_

_Guile and Abel_

_Liu Kang and Kung Lao_

_Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage_

_Scorpion and Reptile_

_Sub-Zero and Smoke_

_Goro and Kintaro_

_Kitana and Jade_

_Akira Yuki and Jacky Bryant_

_Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan_

"Well, what do you know, there are many duos here then what I even expected" he said while reading the list. "Xiaoyu…..why are you even in this tournament?" he suddenly asked in his head while thinking about his friend from high school. "And who's this…Asuka Kazama? Is she related to my mother?" he then wondered.

Nina and Eddy walked over to his table to read the list. Nina mused to herself when she saw her son being partnered up with Hwoarang. Truth is: she kind of looked forward to see him fighting. But there was something else that caught her attention.

"Lars Alexandersson…it seems your half-uncle has entered as well" she remarked when reading up his name.

Jin only closed his eyes. "You don't say. But he's not the one who I really want to fight" he said in return. "But still, that man is never to be underestimated" he added while thinking about Lars.

Eddy had read some of the combatants' names and he became confused when he read some of them. "Get real! What kind of names are those? Sub-Zero, Smoke, Scorpion and Reptile, those wouldn't be their real names, unless I'm mistaking" he remarked to his colleagues while reading this.

"The two members of the Lin Kuei are just entering with their codenames. From what I gather, their real names are Kuai Liang and Tomas Vrbada, respectively. This Scorpion is from the Shirai Ryu. His real name is Hanzo Hasashi. Reptile on the other hand…..I'm not sure of. Hell, he's not even human based upon our scanners" Nina explained to him.

Eddy raised an eyebrow in wonder at her explanation. "You sure know how to collect data. I gave you credit for that" he remarked, making Nina muse to herself in return.

"Well that's enough for now" Jin interrupted them. "Remember, we also have those who wish to fight as individuals" he reminded them.

"Oh yeah, I don't see that bandicoot guy on this list. That means he's probably fighting alone in the tournament" Eddy realised.

"You might wanna have a list over those combatants fighting one-on-one in the tournament" Nina suggested to her boss. "I will make sure Jack gets notified as soon as possible" she added, thus satisfying Jin.

"Glad to hear it. We better keep our eyes peeled for anyone suspicious. Whether they work for the G Corporation or the Sony Organization, it doesn't matter. I wanna know which one of them is a spy" he explained to his bodyguards who saluted with formality at his request.

* * *

_Inside one of the tournament stadiums: Glass of Fate_

In this stadium the fighters fought each other on a platform made of glass. It was raised in a high level that people had to use elevators to go up and down. But right now, as the audience was screaming for a match, Jack stood on a floating platform, smiling at the audience.

"ARE YOU READY, FOLKS!?" he asked out loud and the audience shouted with cheers in return. "WELCOME TO THE FIRST MATCH OF THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT ON THE SPECTACULAR GLASS OF FATE!" he called out while showing everyone the platform of glass.

Suddenly, the large screen in the stadium activated and it showed them which fighter was supposed to fight tonight. It showed them both duos and individual fighters. Among those who were shown were Crash and his friends.

"OKAY! NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK ON WHO'S FIGHTING WHO!" he said when while eyeing the fighters. "THOSE WHO FIGHT AS INDUVIDUALS TONIGHT WILL BE….."

Crash Bandicoot vs Bryan Fury

Cole MacGrath vs Mileena

Raiden vs Baraka

The Prince of Persia vs Vega

Kano vs Balrog

"AND FOR THE THOSE WHO FIGHT AS DUOS TONIGHT…." Jack said and turned to the screen again.

Steve Fox and Hwoarang vs Lili Rochefort and Asuka Kazama

Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law vs Sub-Zero and Smoke

Goro and Kintaro vs Craig Marduk and King

Scorpion and Reptile vs Hayate and Kasumi

Sakura Kusagano and Blanka vs Guile and Abel

"WELL! NOW THAT WE HAVE THE PICTURE HERE, WHY DON'T WE GET THIS SHOW STARTED!?" Jack asked loudly and everyone cheered in return.

The different groups of fighters stood by the elevators on each side of the platform. The individual fighters stood on the eastern side, while the duo fighters stood on the western side. They were a bit below the main platform, where the fight would take place. They had all listened to Jack, as well as read the screen.

Crash was standing on row along with his other fighters. He could notice that some of these fighters were very different from one another. Cole was seemed very cool, while people like Raiden, Vega and the Prince seemed very…..mystical to him. However, fighters like Bryan, Kano, and Baraka made him feel uncomfortable. But he managed to keep his cool.

Suddenly, the announcer called out to the combatants, thus catching everyone's attention. Jack had been reading his papers. "ALRIGHTY THEN! THE FIRST ONE WILL BE A MATCH BETWEEN A CYBORG AND A BANDICOOT! SO LET US ALL WELCOME THE MATCH BETWEEN CRASH BANDICOOT OF SONY AND BRYAN FURY OF NAMCO!" Jack declared and the audience cheered loudly as usual.

Before he could enter the elevator, he was wished the best of luck by Steve and Hwoarang. "Good luck with your match, Crash! We're counting on you!" Hwoarang said.

"Just take caution to this Bryan Fury. From what I hear, that guy is one, tough bastard" Steve advised him while sounding cautious.

Crash smiled in return and gave them a thumb-up. "Thanks for the advice and encouragement, guys! I will do my best" he said, and both of his friends were satisfied by this answer. They then took off to join the rest of their group.

Crash entered the elevator and waited for his opponent to come in. The pale-skinned and white-haired man dressed in pants filled with ammunition and military boots. He also wore a green jacket and black gloves. The expression on his face was not friendly and Crash could tell that he was a serious killer.

As the elevator took off, Crash could only notice Bryan giving him a psychotic grin on his face. This made the young bandicoot feel uncomfortable. So he tried to kindly make him stop doing that.

"Can you please stop staring at me like that? It gives me the creeps" Crash politely asked him. But Bryan wouldn't stop and continued staring. However, he began stretching out his neck, thus making cracking sounds, much to Crash's disgust.

"Once we start fighting, you're gonna wish you never came to this tournament" he suddenly spoke up, but for Crash, it was not pleasant to hear.

The elevator reached the main platform and both Crash and Bryan exited it. The two combatants then walked towards the middle of the platform, making sure Jack and the entire audience could see the fight.

Crash made his preparation stance and focused solely on his opponent. Bryan on the other hand, cracked his knuckles while grinning. It was apparent that he looked forward to tear Crash apart. The young bandicoot got cautious.

Jack smirked and knew that this was going to be a nice match. He then raised his left hand to the air. "OKAY, YOU TWO MAY BEGIN FIGHTING…..NOW!" Jack shouted and swung his left hand downwards.

While Crash was getting a bit distracted by the loud voice, he failed to notice Bryan making the first move by charging at him. The pale-skinned man relentlessly kicked the young bandicoot by surprise, thus sending him rolling. Crash groaned in pain while struggling to get up on his feet, while Bryan continued grinning.

"OUCH! CRASH JUST GOT KICKED BY BRYAN'S MILITARY BOOTS! DAMN, THAT'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK!" Jack commented to the audience as they both cheered and booed at this. Most of the booing was directed towards Crash.

As Crash got up on his feet, he could see Bryan only laughing sadistically at him feeling pain. What kind of man was he? Crash sucked it up and stood his ground.

"Steve was right. That guy sure is a tough bastard" Crash noted and dried the blood running from his mouth.

Bryan stopped laughing after seeing this. "So you wanna feel more pain? If so then allow me to help you!" he said with sadism and once again, ran for the young bandicoot.

Crash snapped when seeing this. Obviously he was planning on delivering another kick. As the pale-skinned man swung his right foot, the young bandicoot surprisingly avoided it by jumping. Crash then readied his right fist, aiming it for Bryan's face. Unfortunately, the cyborg blocked it with his hands, thus stopping Crash's attack.

"Damn it!" the young bandicoot cursed when seeing Bryan blocking his attack. But the young bandicoot suddenly got kneed by Bryan, thus sending him flying in the air. "I should've seen this coming" Crash thought while floating in the air.

The pale-skinned man smirked when seeing this. "DOES IT FEEL GOOD!?" he asked Crash. He then readied his right fist to deliver a hard punch at him. "HERE IT COMES!" he shouted maniacally and delivered his punch at Crash's face.

This felt painful for Crash and he was sent rolling, blood covering his face. The entire audience started to boo at him, while he was still lying on the glassed floor.

"OH MY GOD, THIS LOOKS BAD, FOLKS! CRASH IS JUST GETTING HIS FURRY ASS BEATEN!" Jack commented while watching this. "HE BETTER START TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!" he added.

However, the young bandicoot slowly got up on his feet, spitting out blood from his mouth. He then focused his gaze on Bryan, who was still grinning with pleasure. The pale-skinned man could see how Crash struggled in composing himself.

"Try avoiding my attacks all you want, kid! But it won't make a difference! My kickboxing easily prevails over your weak punches!" Bryan taunted him and laughed afterwards.

This suddenly hit Crash in the head. He then thought about how he managed to stop that tsunami from swallowing Sandover Village. Perhaps some of that mysterious energy was still left in him. There was something he also came to realize after hearing Bryan's words.

"I think this creep somehow speaks the truth. So does that weird presenter. That punch I delivered didn't inflect much damage. It's probably because I was too focused on knowing his fighting style" Crash thought in his head. He then readied his position, firming his fists. "Alright, enough with acting all confused! It's time I started getting serious for once!" he thought and to his opponent's surprise ran towards him in fast speed.

Bryan laughed at this in return and readied his fist. "Hah! You're only running bravely into your death!" he said in return and stretched his fist to hit Crash. Surprisingly, the young bandicoot dodged it and launched at Bryan by grabbing his hips.

He then made Bryan fall to the ground. Once he was on the ground, Crash sat on his stomach and proceeded to punch Bryan's face. Although the pale-skinned man tried to block it, he noticed that Crash's punches were getting stronger and soon got Crash off him by head-butting him.

Bryan grinned after doing this and hoped to see more blood streaming from Crash. "How did that feel, you little…..WHAT!?" Bryan stopped speaking once he could see his opponent standing.

Surprisingly, the young bandicoot remained unfazed and jumped before Bryan could kick him. The young bandicoot swung his left feet in the air and landed a kick on Bryan's face. This sent him flying.

"Now that was for making me look like a punching bag!" Crash said as he kicked Bryan.

The audience expressed shock at this, while Jack whistled in amazement. "WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW? BRYAN JUST GOT INTRODUCED TO CRASH'S FOOT!" he commented.

But Bryan got back on his feet quickly and to Crash's disgust, licked the blood on around his mouth. He was still keen on more violence. "That was pretty impressive! I better tread lightly next time" he complimented Crash, who was dumbfounded by this. But still, Crash accepted it.

"Thanks, but I prefer not to receive praise from strangers like you" Crash jokingly replied, much to Bryan's confusion. "However, I better get used to it, especially since we are now in the middle of a fight" Crash added.

The pale-skinned man was getting annoyed by Crash's words, so he charged at him in fast speed. "QUIT YAPPING AND JUST FIGHT, YOU BRAT!" he shouted and was about to kick Crash. To his shock, the young bandicoot managed to simply grab his foot with his hands. Crash smirked while doing so.

"You're the one yapping here, zombieman!" he said with sarcasm in his voice. Afterwards, Crash made a frog-like jump while holding Bryan's foot. He was sent to the floor, but while being so, Bryan nearly broke his leg. He groaned in pain at this.

The audience was cheering for Crash now. Even Jack had begun showing interest in Crash. "WOW! CRASH JUST PINNED BRYAN TO THE FLOOR! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!?" he asked the audience while observing the fight.

Crash got away from Bryan and began stretching his arms and legs. He really felt like doing it, as it made him feel comfortable. While he did that, Bryan was giving him a face of anger and frustration. Crash noticed this and became concerned.

"You don't look so good, Bryan! If you don't feel like fighting, you can just give up" Crash surprisingly suggested to his opponent. By hearing this, Bryan was filled with outrage. He gritted his teeth at this.

As the pale-skinned man got back on his feet, he loosened his jacket, thus exposing his muscular chest. Crash got cautious again, when noticing Bryan getting all angry all of a sudden. This was really disturbing to see.

"Oh crap! I think I made him pissed!" Crash thought in his head while seeing Bryan acting like this. "From what I can tell, he really likes fighting" the young bandicoot added to his thoughts.

"Give up….give up the fight? LIKE HELL I WILL!" Bryan shouted in anger and flexed his muscles. Crash stood his ground and faced his opponent. Bryan was suddenly grinning. This was most likely due to the bloodlust taking control over him. The young bandicoot knew this meant trouble. "I WON'T STOP FIGHTING…UNTIL I'VE TORN YOU TO PIECES!" he shouted and ran straight towards him.

Crash knew that Bryan would try to land a punch on him. So as the pale-skinned man neared him, Crash ducked. However, he could see that Bryan was also preparing his right foot to kick him. He had to act fast.

"Step 1: Send him flying!" Crash thought in his head and punched Bryan in the stomach. This sent him flying up in the air. The audience cheered, but there was more to come.

While Bryan was up in the air, he was filled with surprise, once he saw Crash jumping to give him a barrage. This took him off-guard.

"FUCK!" Bryan shouted in anger. Crash raised his right foot in the air and eyed his opponent with remorse. "YOU ORANGE-FURRED SON OF A…" Bryan shouted until Crash spoke up.

"And Step 2: Send him back again!" Crash said and then landed his feet on Bryan's back. It was a hard slam. Bryan screamed in pain.

The pale-skinned man fell down towards the floor of glass and the results were painful. The glass had begun cracking, but it didn't break. The floor of glass was made to withstand such, but Crash had surprisingly managed to crack the floor. The audience cheered in return and Jack mused at this.

"That was amazing" Jack thought while seeing this. "Maybe I was a bit judgemental on him" he added while studying Crash.

As Crash landed on the floor and flipped his opponent's body, he could see that his face and body was filled with bruises and ugly marks. Crash chuckled nervously to himself after seeing this.

"Eheheheheh…..maybe I overdid it" he said while hoping he didn't "kill" Bryan.

Jack tapped his microphone before speaking. "WELL, FOLKS! FROM THE LOOKS OF IT, BRYAN SEEMS UNABLE TO CONTINUE FIGHTING! CRASH HAS REMARKABLY K.O-ED HIM!" Jack said while studying Bryan's body. "WINNER BY KNOCKOUT: CRASH BANDICOOT!" he then declared and the audience cheered in return.

Crash stopped poking Bryan and watched the spectators cheering him. It was strange, how so many people watched this show. But still, he accepted the praise and naively waved his hands towards everyone, even the cameramen.

However, Crash realised that he needed to understand more of his strength. Using it randomly wouldn't do any good. He thought about training, knowing that his opponents could perhaps be stronger than Bryan. But on another note, the young bandicoot looked forward to it. But first, he had to see how Hwoarang and Steve would fare in their fight.

_To be continued…_

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**Author's note: That was chapter 10. In this tournament, I will mostly focus on Crash, Steve and Hwoarang's fights. However, I might write about someone else whenever I feel like it (perhaps on Cole, Raiden and the Prince). I wanted A Game's Legend to have a different next arc than Trouble in the East, as both beginnings were similar. ****However, hope you guys enjoyed it.**


	11. Don't Let Me Down!

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Don't Let Me Down! **

_In the stadium of Glass of Fate, Tournament Park_

Once the young bandicoot returned to the lower platform, he was immediately receiving praises from his newfound friends, something which took completely by surprise.

"WAY TO GO, CRASH! YOU WON THE MATCH!" Hwoarang exclaimed at the young bandicoot as he exited the elevator.

"WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU LOSING, BUT I GUESS WE WERE WRONG!" Steve joined in

Crash was warmly embraced by both Hwoarang and Steve. They both lifted him up while praising him as a winner, much to Crash's confusion. But even so, he happily accepted it. The young bandicoot could also see Cole giving him an impressed look on his face. It was obvious that the mysterious man was happy for him winning the round. But Crash smiled cheekily in return, causing Cole to chuckle in amusement. The bald-headed man was thinking in his head.

"Well…..he is as intriguing as you say….Nathan" he remarked in his head. This man knew the charming adventurer somehow, given that they both worked for Kratos and his rule. In fact, they were comrades.

However, some of the other combatants were neither amused nor impressed by Crash's win. They were very judgemental in their opinions of Crash. It was discussed among those "scary-looking" combatants.

"I can't believe a dim-witted fool like him won this match!" Mileena expressed her dissatisfaction about the match's outcome. "It seems to me that I foolishly overestimated Bryan Fury and his skills" she added while thinking about the pale-skinned man.

"Heh, Bryan was no real challenge to begin with!" Kano pointed out while crossing his arms. "If this poor marsupial were up against me, I would've easily floored him by 5 seconds" he added while eyeing the young bandicoot with disgust.

Vega took notice of them speaking and chuckled to himself. Both Mileena and Kano could hear him and they confronted him. But Vega didn't stop laughing, making both fighters even more offended.

"Hey, what's so funny, mate!?" Kano demanded an answer from the masked fighter who only brandished his claw while eyeing them.

"You two are getting all worked up and stressed because of one match? I was under the impression that you were calm and focused fighters. But I guess I was wrong to believe so" he pointed out to them.

Both Mileena and Kano did not take kindly to this, especially Mileena. "Why you cocky son of a….:" before she could say any further, Jack's voice interrupted them.

"ALRIGHT, GUYS! THE NEXT MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN STEVE FOX AND HWOARANG FROM NAMCO AND LILI ROCHEFORT AND ASUKA KAZAMA FROM NAMCO! WILL YOU FOUR MENTIONED COMBATANTS PLEASE GET UP TO THE STAGE!?" he made the announcement.

Steve, who was dressed in his boxing clothes, smirked and turned his gaze towards Hwoarang. Hi was dressed in his biker clothes. Crash understood that it was now their turn to fight so me grinned sheepishly in return.

"Well, looks like it's you guys next! Go get them!" he said to them and they accepted it gratefully. "I'm counting on you, you know" he added.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Crash! We'll handle the rest! Let's get this fight started, Steve!" Hwoarang said with determination and his friend followed suit.

As they both entered the elevator, they could see a brown-haired woman dressed in light-blue clothes heading towards the elevator, accompanied by a blonde-haired woman dressed in white. They both smirked as they saw to the young men waiting for them in the elevator.

Crash had decided to take a nap, given that the fighting had made him all tired. So he sat by a pillar and rested his hands behind his neck. The young bandicoot closed his eyes with a smile. He knew that Steve and Hwoarang wouldn't lose.

But not far from where he was resting, the brutish Tarkatan named Baraka glared at him with his monstrous eyes. He was filled with disgust over seeing someone as scrawny as Crash winning the match.

"This weakling is not worthy of advancing further this tournament! I better put him out of his misery and dub it an accident!" he thought as he drew out blades from his hands. Those blades functioned as swords and they helped Baraka in slicing his foes.

The ruthless Tarkatan walked slowly towards Crash, but to his surprise, he could feel an electric blade touching his left shoulder. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. It was Raiden, who was eyeing him with killing intent while making sure the tip of the blade reached Baraka's throat. The Tarkatan was filled with anger and confusion at this.

"What's the meaning of this, cyborg!? Why do you care so much for this little runt!?" he demanded to know, still standing motionless.

"I ain't got sympathy for my competitors. However, I hate cowardly thugs such as you even more!" the white-haired man replied sternly, much to Baraka's anger. The Tarkatan swung his left arm, in an attempt to slice Raiden with his blade.

Surprisingly, the cyborg grabbed Baraka's arm and then pointed his blade towards his face. The Tarkatan was filled with shock over seeing this. He could see Raiden expressing no regret over doing this.

"You better respect the rules here, damned monster. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to shred you to pieces!" Raiden warned him while his right eye pierced through him like a spear. "Do you understand?" he asked him coldly, never taking off his gaze at Baraka.

The Tarkatan was growling with anger at this. But eventually, he pulled in the blades on his arms and grunted. "Very well, but when we fight….I will cut your arms!" Baraka said and walked away.

Raiden only smirked at this in return. "We'll see about that" he thought in his head and sheathed his sword.

Crash was sleeping, knowing that he was safe from doing so, in light of all this commotion. He didn't want to waste energy worrying about Steve and Hwoarang.

The elevator's doors shut. Then it went upwards went and inside, the four combatants started a conversation that was much lively than that of Crash's with Bryan. It was Hwoarang who began speaking first, mainly towards Asuka.

"Hey girl, that surname of yours, are you related to Jin Kazama or something?" the auburn-haired man asked her. Asuka only rolled her eyes in annoyance. But Hwoarang wasn't giving up on her. "Don't act like you don't care, girl! You do realize that Jin is like…..one of THE most powerful men in this country, right?" he asked her again.

Asuka stared at him like she was being offended. "First of all, you're way over your head, smartass! And second of all, I'm not just a girl! My name is Asuka!" she snapped at him.

Hwoarang only rolled his eyes and sighed. "Geez, don't get your panties in a twist! I was just asking a simple question. But since you refused to answer, I asked another one and then you freaked out!" He pointed out to her.

Asuka only huffed in return and crossed her arms. "Well excuse me for not being dumb enough to speak with strangers about my family name! My father did that and he got himself hospitalized as a result!" she said in return while mentioning her father, who had been beaten by a ruthless fighter due to him being a well-renowned master in the Kazama Style Traditional Martial Arts.

Hwoarang ignored her temper and looked away in the elevator's wall. "Whatever you say…bitch!" Hwoarang said inside of him, starting to regret ever speaking to Asuka.

While Hwoarang and Asuka were not seeing each other eye to eye, Steve and Lili surprisingly exchanged positive words between them. It was a stark contrast from the one between Hwoarang and Asuka.

"Well…..I never expected to run into the boxing prodigy himself!" Lili remarked while expressing interest in her opponent. "I've heard all about you, Steve Fox. But don't consider me as a fan or anything!" she added while trying to convince him.

Steve smirked in return. "It's nice to meet an "unofficial" fan of mine. No offense of course!" he said while trying to act cool with Lili. "Tell me, Lili. What kind of fighting style do you have? I take it you're no karate expert" he suddenly asked her, curious to find out why a young woman such as her would enter a tournament like this.

Lili giggled at his question. It was apparent that she found this entertaining. "You really are charming, Steve. And because of that, I will gladly answer" she said and cleared her throat. "The truth is: I learned fighting from participating in…street fights" she answered him, much to his and Hwoarang's surprises.

"Whoa…..are you serious?" the auburn-haired man asked her. She nodded sweetly. "Well, let's see if your fighting skills are as good as you say, because my Tae Kwon Do are practically unmatched" he claimed to her, only for Steve to sigh in annoyance.

Asuka smirked at him while hearing his claim. "Unmatched, you say? From my point of view, you're a better talker than you are a fighter" she pointed out, thus earning a glare from Hwoarang. Lili mused at this.

"Those two do really fit together, don't they?" she asked in her head while eyeing her partner clash with Hwoarang.

The auburn-haired man stepped up his attack. "Okay, now you're starting to be really bitchy here! How is she even friends with you, if you keep acting like that!?" Hwoarang asked her while pointing his finger towards Lili. Asuka moved closer to him, her hands on her hips and faced him.

"I suggest you take that back before….." Asuka stopped once the elevator's door opened and it showed them the platform made of glass. But before exiting, she eyed Hwoarang on last time. "We'll take this outside in the ring! And I hope you're ready to feel some pain" she said and went outside.

Hwoarang only grumbled as she left. Steve gave him a disapproving glance before exiting along with Lili. "You really know how to make friends, do you?" the blonde-haired man asked him.

The auburn-haired man only sighed in irritation. "Don't you interfere this time, Steve! That girl will be my opponent! I wanna teach her some manners!" he said while cracking his knuckles.

Steve mused at this. But he understood why Hwoarang wanted Asuka. "Fine, but don't let me down! You must win!" he said and exited.

Hwoarang rolled his eyes before following his friend. "Why do you act like you're my sensei? God, this is getting so old!" he asked in his head while noticing how troublesome it was.

The duos stood in the middle, preparing their stances. Hwoarang did some kicking in the air, while Steve did a few punches in the air as a warm-up. The audience was cheering and Jack could see that this was getting interesting. He raised his right hand in the air.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE! THE FIRST TWO ON TWO MATCH BETWEEN THESE YOUNG FIGHTERS BEGINS….NOW!" he declared and swung his arm downwards.

Asuka ran straight towards Hwoarang and he stood his guard. The brown-haired woman was about to deliver a punch at him, only for the young man to jump in the air and prepared to deliver a kick.

"Try dodging this, tomboy!" Hwoarang exclaimed and delivered his feet towards Asuka. To his surprise, the woman grabbed his foot and threw Hwoarang away. This sent him flying and eventually, he landed on the floor of glass.

Asuka smirked at this. She then tried to play sweet and innocent in front of Hwoarang. "Hey, did you hurt yourself?" she mockingly asked him.

The auburn-haired man gritted his teeth in irritation as he got back on his feet. He then prepared his fighting stance with a confidential smirk on his face. Asuka was confused at his, but she understood eventually.

"Who ever said of me being hurt? I'm just getting warmed up!" he taunted her, making Asuka sigh in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Lili was trying to deliver her fastest kicks to Steve, who to her surprise dodged all of them. Steve had remarkable reflexes, especially in fighting. The blonde-haired woman smiled at this.

"I must admit that your reflexes are impressive! However, you can't dodge my attacks forever!" she said and then proceeded to kick rampantly.

But before she could even do it, Steve had brought his gloved fist to her stomach, thus sending her backwards. She was on the verge of falling onto the floor, but she regained her composure and faced her opponent.

"My…that was a cheap one….." she noted while panting. Steve kissed the glove and faced her with a smile.

"Just so you know, madam. I'm a boxer, which means…more advanced and painful punches to feel. Don't expect any kicks from me, that's Hwoarang's thing" he explained and prepared his stance.

Lili only mused in return at this and stood her ground. "Very well, handsome! Let's see if those punches will be fast enough to reach me" she said and started to sprint towards him.

The young boxer mused at this. "Back on the offensive, I see? Now that's delightful" he remarked in his head.

Steve stood his guard but he was surprised once Lili stood on the floor with her hands and used her boots to land on Steve's head. The young boxer was expecting Lili to have attacked him head on, but he was to slow to mount his defence against her. The boxer was then kicked to the floor, and Lili resumed her position.

"How do you like that, handsome?" she asked him sweetly and put the heel of her boot on Steve's head.

"Damn…this is not what I expected!" Steve thought in his head while lying on the floor. He was about to come back up fast, only for Lili to use her heel to push him towards the floor. This left him an ugly mark around his mouth. "You little….." Steve muttered while his face was pushed against the glassed floor.

Jack was watching the fight with enthusiasm. The audience cheered at the girls, while some of them booed at the boys. "LOOKIE HERE FOLKS, IT SEEMS THOSE BOYS ARE GETTING THEIR ASSES WHOPPED BY THOSE GIRLS! WHAT A SHAME!" he commented with sarcasm in his voice.

Hwoarang, who was struggling against Asuka, was irritated by Jack's comment and eyed him briefly. "I'm SO gonna kill you for that after this match!" he said to himself.

"Hey dumbass!" the voice came from Asuka, as she delivered a punch at his stomach. The auburn-haired man realised that her punches were not weak. "Don't take your eyes off your opponent! It's totally disrespectful and extremely disadvantageous!" she added and then proceeded to kick the young man's face, sending him flying.

Hwoarang lied on the glassed floor with blood running from his face and mouth. He could notice Asuka approaching him slowly, holding her hips as she was being strict with him. This made Hwoarang only more stressed.

"Shit! I completely underestimated her!" he thought in his head. He could see Asuka's shoes. "I better think of something before I'm completely whopped" he added to his thoughts and slowly got up on his feet.

Asuka eyed him with disappointment. "This is kind of disappointing. I was hoping for a challenge. But then again, it's only our first round, so I'll have to be patient" she said while crossing her arms.

Hwoarang dried the blood running across his face and surprisingly fixed a smirk on his face, much to Asuka's confusion. She wondered what his deal was. "Heh, sorry to disappoint you!" he said and to the brown-haired woman's surprise and negligence, kicked her in the face. This sent her flying and the auburn-haired man stood there with his right foot in the air. "Usually I wouldn't necessarily hurt a lady in her face. But when you said that I disappointed you, I couldn't help but wonder if this is what you wanted!" he added while Asuka was flying in the air.

"What the hell happened just now?" Asuka asked in her head. "Was that jackass seriously holding back the entire time?" she then wondered. But before she could think, she noticed Hwoarang jumping up and preparing a fist for her back. This made her widening in shock. "DAMN IT!" she cursed as Hwoarang knocked her back. It felt painful, bit she didn't get her back broken.

Jack whistled in amazement. "UNBELIEVEABLE! HWOARANG JUST STARTED TO GET HIS SHIT TOGETHER FOR ONCE!" he commented.

Lili was stunned by what she saw. She didn't expect her partner to be that negligent over her opponents. While watching this, she mused to herself.

"Now that's unexpected! And to think that goggle-head managed to kick Asuka in the air" she remarked while seeing this.

"Hey!" the voice of Steve called out to her, thus making her snap. She stood still, but slowly began turning her head to see her opponent. To her shock, Steve was delivering a punch of his in a fast rate, much to her distress. Without hesitating, she desperately tried to block his attack with her arms. Steve smirked while seeing this. "You think this will do?" he asked in his head.

As Steve's gloved fist hit in the blocking arms of Lili, the young woman could feel the aftereffects of Steve's punch. She was sent backwards, even though she clung fast to where she stood. This made even the blonde-haired boxer surprised.

"What was that? I just gave her a normal punch! I didn't even use my full strength" he thought in his head, while eyeing the scar running across his left arm. It was that arm he had used to punch Lili with. "Could this be something related to this scar?" he asked in his head.

Jack was impressed by this. "STEVE IS NOW GIVING LILI A PAYBACK! THAT PUNCH'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK ON HER ARMS, NO KIDDING!" he commented while observing Steve's attack.

Lili gained her composure and eyed her opponent with an angry look. She then ran straight towards him, jumping in the air before Steve could even move against her. She held her fists and aimed them towards Steve. It soon became obvious that she was planning on pinning him down to the floor.

"NOW YOU'RE MINE!" she exclaimed while diving towards him.

Steve was distressed, not knowing of how to defend or respond to this. After all, he was only a boxer, and boxers were not necessarily known to neither jump nor kick their enemies in the air. But something hit the young man's head.

"I got to do this! If not, I'm screwed!" he said and just before Lili could launch at him, he ducked. This made the blonde-haired woman shocked.

"WHAT THE…." She shouted in outrage. But before she could land on the glassed floor, she felt a hard punch hitting her stomach.

The whole audience was amazed by what they saw. Steve raised Lili in the air, with only one arm. He pressed his gloved fist against her stomach, making Lili cough out blood. But she was still confused, confused at when Steve could've just let her fall onto the glassed floor, why this?

Steve noticed her expression and carried Lili with his arms. He eyed the blonde-haired girl with a smile. "You're probably wondering why I didn't just let you fall onto the floor. Well the reason for that is simple" he said, much to Lili's confusion.

"What?" he asked as if she didn't get a clue on what the boxer was saying. "Are you saying you….saved me?" she asked, still filled with uncertainty.

Steve nodded his head and showed understanding towards her. "Yeah, but we were still opponents. However, I'm not the kind of guy who would just let a cheerful and beautiful lady like you lose your appearance. It really…softens me" he said with a touching voice.

Lili widened at his words and soon, her cheeks began blushing. They became redder than the blood which was running from her mouth. She dried it and smiled sweetly at Steve, making the blonde-haired man surprised.

"I think….this match…..is yours to win" she said and all of a sudden, she loosened herself from Steve's hands and fell onto the floor. It was apparent that she was trying to play unconscious for Jack and the entire audience. She didn't want to fight him anymore, and she didn't care about the Torunament and its prize either. "Someday….I will make you my husband…." Lili said in her head while her eyes were shut, adding a smile to her face.

At the same time, Asuka was lying on the floor, struggling to get up. But she had seen Lili getting beaten by Steve and she was filled with surprise. It also made her feel distressed. But she couldn't give up now. She had to win against Hwoarang and Steve.

"Just give it up, already. You're only dragging you and your teammate further into this painful mess if you keep fighting" Hwoarang kindly suggested to her.

The young woman was filled with outrage and clenched her fists. She got on her knees and glared at Hwoarang, who was eyeing as he felt sorry for her. She realised that he wasn't the same person as he was in the elevator. But that didn't change her mind.

"Stop acting like you know what to do!?" she snapped but as she did, she began coughing out chunks of blood and fell on her stomach again.

The auburn-haired man was disgusted by this. "Ewww, see what I mean? You're only in for more painful aftereffects like this if you keep on fighting, do you follow what I'm…" Hwoarang stopped speaking once he could notice that the brown-haired woman was now unconscious. It was apparent that the attack he pulled on her had taken a toll on her body. Hwoarang bit his lip, wondering if he had taken it too far. "Nah, she will make it through this! She was one hell of a pain to be honest, but I wanna have a rematch with her somday. On different circumstances, that is" he thought in his head while fixing a smirk on his face.

As the young men stepped into the middle of the platform, they were receiving praise from the audience and fans alike. Even Jack had begun taking interest in them. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT, FOLKS! THESE TWO LAZY BOYS JUST TOOK OUT THOSE TOUGH GIRLS!" he commented, making both Steve and Hwoarang slump in defeat.

"You really are a jerk, you know that?" Steve asked him, although his question couldn't be heard.

"This makes me wanna kill that jackass even more!" Hwoarang grumbled, but he eventually calmed himself.

"WINNERS BY KNOCKOUT: STEVE FOX AND HWOARANG!" Jack declared and the entire audience cheered with enthusiasm. There were even some young girls, who were hoping to catch the boys' interest.

Steve dried the blood on his chin and raised his fist in the air. It was something he always did when he won a match. Hwoarang on the other hand, put his hands in his pockets, not feeling like making a winning pose. This made Steve chuckle in amusement.

"Come one, Hwoarang! Lighten up!" he tried to encourage him, but to no avail.

"Don't even think about it! And by the way, you're forgetting something! I did promise you that I wouldn't let you down, did I?" he said while reminding his friend of his vow.

Steve smirked in return at this and nodded his head. "Yes, and it seems you managed to fulfil it! You're a reliable partner" he commended Hwoarang, making the auburn-haired man, making him smile in return.

"Tch, show-off" he said in return, trying to look like he didn't care.

* * *

_Later, in one of the luxury apartments, the Tournament Park_

Having just finished the match, the fighters who had proceeded to the next round had to wait two days from now on. It was getting really late and Crash and his friends had decided to get back to their rooms.

"That was great, you guys! But I think I'm gonna hit the sack for now" Crash said and yawned. "I guess sleeping against a pillar wasn't that comfortable as I thought it would be" he added.

Both of his friends smiled. "We understand you, Crash. I think it's been a tough evening for all three of us" Steve said to his orange-furred friend.

"Alright, see you tomorrow. We might wanna start training considering that we don't know which opponent we will be up against" Hwoarang said and the three friends went their separate ways in the apartment.

While Crash walked through the corridor to his room, he could think about those who had won the one-on-one matches.

"Kano, Raiden, The Prince and Cole all won their matches…I guess I better watch my back now" he thought in his head. "If Kano's gonna my opponent, I'm will have to train. I almost got by butt kicked by Bryan. I need to find out more about this hidden strength" he added to his thoughts.

As Crash stood outside the door to his room, he breathed deeply before entering. Thinking about all of this made him feel both interested and uncomfortable at the same time. But he brushed it off and entered his room.

But unbeknownst to him, someone had been watching Crash by hiding in the corridor. It was Kano, who was grinning evilly while his laser eye glow red by the minute. The ruthless mercenary from the Black Dragon walked across the corridor while playing with his knives.

"Sweet dreams, little bandicoot! Cause you won't last long in this tournament!" Kano said in his Australian accent. "I can't wait to skin you and use that fur of yours as my own toilet paper!" he exclaimed and laughed.

But the black-haired man stopped once he noticed someone blocking his way. It was none other than Jin Kazama himself standing there with his arms crossed. The ravem-haired man eyed the mercenary with a dispassionate look on his face. But Kano however, was not surprised and only expressed disrespect towards him.

"Move it, bloody fancy-pants! Can't you see I'm in a rush here!?" Kano snapped, but Jin remained unfazed.

"What are you skulking around this corridor for? Unless I am mistaking, your room is in the apartment complex next to us" Jin asked while pointing out a fact.

Kano was getting angrier by this, so he rudely showed him aside and proceeded walking through the corridor. However, Jin stood still and forced a smirk on his face as Kano walked away.

"Did Kazuya pay you to capture Crash Bandicoot? Well I'm surprised he would rely on a henchmen like yourself rather than capturing him by himself" the raven-haired man suddenly spoke up, thus making the mercenary stop where he stood.

Kano gritted his teeth in anger and slowly reached for one of his knives. He held it tightly and was about to turn around to throw it at Jin. "Now shut your damned mouth, you ugly son of a….." as Kano turned around, he could notice that Jin was not standing there any longer. This took the mercenary completely by surprise. "Damn! The snobby squirt is gone! I was hoping to crack his skull open!" he exclaimed his irritation and then walked away.

_To be continued…_

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**Author's note: That was chapter 11. I might write about Cole, Raiden and the Prince in the next chapter. Also, Jin will be an important player in this "arc". With regard to Nathan and the others….I was thinking about one of Crash's friends meet with him under different circumstances. Until we meet again, readers! **


	12. Hidden Challenges

**Author's note: This chapter will feature some fights we didn't get to see in the previous chapter. After that, it will mostly focus on what happened the next day. I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Hidden Challenges**

_1 day ago, the Glass of Fate, Tournament Park_

After Steve and Hwoarang won their match against Lili and Asuka, the next round was between Cole MacGrath and the hideous Mileena. As they stood on the platform facing each other, Mileena drew her twin sai, facing her opponent with killing intent.

"I hope you're prepared to get your body teared apart!" she spoke with venom in her voice.

The bald-headed man only stared at her unfazed, never giving much thought about her effort to intimidate him. But he did grab the mysterious weapon he carried on his back and held it tightly. As he did so, lighting began bristling from his hands and his weapon, making Mileena very curious.

"I see. It seems to me that you are no ordinary human" the twisted woman noted and prepared his stance. "But that doesn't make a difference! I will still tear you up in bits!" she said.

Surprisingly, Cole smirked in return while preparing his stance. "I'll take that as a compliment. However, I'm sure as hell not the one going down tonight" he said in return.

Handsome Jack eyed the fighters with great interest before tapping his microphone. "ALRIGHT, THIS MATCH BETWEEN COLE MACGRATH FROM SONY AND MILEENA FROM MIDWAY BEGINS…" Jack raised his hand in the air while drawing cheers from the audience. "NOOOOOOW!" he finally said and swung his hand downwards.

Before anyone knew it, Mileena was the first to make her move by using her teleporting. She appeared right before Cole and used her flexible kicks on him. Cole was able to block her kick with his weapon in a nick of time, but the woman used her teleportation to appear behind him. Cole was too slow to stage a defence against this, as Mileena used her twin sai to slice his back.

Cole could feel the pain, but he used his electricity to glade away from her. He then turned around to face his opponent, who had removed her mask to lick his blood on her twin sai. He became disgusted by her mouth's shape.

"Damn….when was the last time you went to a dentist!?" he sarcastically asked her.

Mileena eyed him with eyes of bloodlust, as he misshapen mouth formed a grin. "I can taste your blood, and it reeks of filth!" she said while licking her monstrous lips. "I won't go easy on you next time, coward!" she taunted him.

Suprisingly, Cole took of his jacket, thus revealing his t-shirt. He then gripped his hands tightly. "So she's a ninja, huh? I better pay attention here" he thought in his head.

But while he was in his thoughts, Mileena threw her twin sai at him in full speed. They almost managed to hit their target, only for Cole to avoid them by jumping high into the air with the help of his electricity.

Mileena was furious by this and ran for him to attack once he would land on the floor. But while she ran, Cole used his unique ice powers to freeze the floor she ran on. This made everyone surprised, even Mileena herself.

"WHAT THE…WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" she angrily demanded as her feet were frozen along with the floor.

Jack whistled in amazement. "LOOKIE HERE, FOLKS! COLE ALSO POSSESSES THE ABILITY OF ICE! WOW! I DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING!" he commented while observing.

As Cole landed on the floor, he eyed his opponent with a smirk, as she struggled in freeing herself from the ice. "What's wrong? I'm standing in your direction, so you can come at me anytime" he taunted her while pretending he was bored.

The twisted woman was filled with anger over hearing him say that. With enough anger and struggle, she managed to break the ice on her feet. "DON'T YOU MESS WITH ME, HUMAN!" she shouted with anger and launched herself towards Cole.

As she neared him, Cole drew his weapon and slammed it towards her. This resulted in Mileena getting herself electrified and it was painful to her. Cole smirked as she screamed in pain and pressed his weapon onto her body.

"Let me introduce you to my unique weapon. It has its own name and can generate my electricity. I call it: the Amp" he explained to her.

Mileena had her eyes opened and they glared at him with outrage. "YOU SON OF A BITCH, LET ME GO!" she screamed in pain, but Cole didn't follow her.

"I don't think so, madam. A filthy monster such as you deserves a more humiliating defeat than you giving up" Cole explained to her with a serious expression on his face.

A small explosion of shock erupted and once it was finished, Mileena lied on the glassed floor, but there was something more. Her left arm and right leg had been torn to shreds and blood covered the floor around her. Cole only stood still, while returning his Amp on his back.

The entire audience cheered at this and so did Jack, who had almost been stunned to death by seeing Mileena lying on the floor. But still, he grinned with satisfaction over seeing this.

"MILEENA SEEMS TO BE IN NO CONDITION TO CONTINUE FIGHTING, AND SHE LOOKS…DEAD!" he commented while studying this. "THUS THE WINNER BY KILL IS: COLE MACGRATH!" he declared the winner and the audience shouted in praise.

After the round between Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law and Sub-Zero and Smoke (in which the latter duo won), it was now time for the next round: the brutish Baraka and the calculating Raiden. As they stood on the platform facing each other, Baraka drew out the pair of blades lying in his arms. He eyed Raiden like a predator finding his targets, while grinning with his razor-sharp teeth.

"I will make you realise how wrong it was of you to stop me! I'll do so by cutting your arms!" he called out. But there was something more that he wanted to say, something which involved his opponent's name. "So your name is Raiden? Bah! You share the same name with a pathetic thunder god!" he taunted to him.

Raiden drew his electrified sword and eyed his opponent with his one eye. The white-haired man in a cyborg suit didn't take the Tarkatan's threat seriously. To Baraka's surprise, Raiden closed his eye as if he ignored him.

"I pity you" he said lowly, making Baraka confused at his words. "I don't do so because of your hellish appearance…but because of your foolish and uninspiring overconfidence" Raiden finally said and opened his eye to face him.

Baraka was infuriated by hearing this, and he couldn't wait to taste Raiden's blood on his pair of blades. He prepared his stance and so did Raiden. "You will make a perfect target for my blades! I will try my best pierce through your smug face!" he said with anger and bloodlust.

"Pierce through my smug face?" Raiden asked him. He soon fixed a deadly expression on his face. "Fool…you won't be able to reach me before that happens" he said in his head while eyeing Baraka.

Jack raised his arm while smiling at the fight taking place. "AND NOW, THE FIGHT BETWEEN RAIDEN FROM KONAMI AND BARAKA FROM MIDWAY…..STARTS NOW!" he said and swing his hand.

Baraka was the first to make his move. He ran straight towards Raiden, his pair of blades reaching to each side. He roared like a beast, for it was apparent that he was intending to tear Raiden apart. But all he could see was the cyborg, standing still.

"YOU'RE MINE!" he shouted as he was nearing his opponent.

But as he aimed the tip of his blades at him to pierce his body, Baraka suddenly realised that his opponent wasn't there. He was gone! The Tarkatan stood still, not moving a muscle, and it made the entire audience curious.

"WHAT IS THIS!? WHERE DID THAT CYBORG GO!?" he asked in his head. However, he could hear some silent steps coming from behind and he recognized that voice.

"You were saying that I was yours?" it asked and it came from Raiden, who was wearing a mask on his face. Soon it opened and it revealed Raiden's face with his eye piercing through Baraka as if he was shooting him. "I would like to correct your statement. Actually…..you're mine" he said with a revelation to his opponent.

"W-W-WHAT A-ARE YOU…." Baraka stammered out words with stress in his voice.

The Tarkatan was filled with fear, as he saw Raiden sheathing his blade. He could see his own blood covering the white-haired man's blade. Once the blade was put in place, blood began sprouting from Baraka's left shoulder and it eventually tore his left arm off. The Tarkatan screamed in pain as he fell onto the glassed floor.

"AAAAARRRGH! YOU…..BASTARD!" Baraka cursed, as he eventually fell unconscious into the pool of blood underneath him.

Raiden walked away, never paying attention to the cheers from the audience. But he was talking to himself inside his own head. "People find entertainment in this? How sickening" he thought in his head while eyeing both sides.

Jack smirked at this and cleared his throat. "BARAKA IS UNABLE TO FIGHT GIVEN THIS DEADLY SLASH FROM RAIDEN! SO THE WINNER BY KILL IS: RAIDEN!" he declared and the audience began cheering once more. But Jack was thinking something to himself while eyeing Raiden. "If what the rumours about him are true, then this man is indeed a deadly weapon. FOXHOUND sure has found their man in this game" he remarked to himself.

The next match between duos was monstrous Goro and Kintaro against Craig Marduk and King. Even though the Vale Tudo fighter and the professional wrestler put up a valiant challenge against them, they were outmatched by the two oversized monsters. But still, the match was terrific and gave orgasm to wrestling fans alike.

After that match was over it was between the masked fighter with a claw on his left hand named Vega and the man going by the title of Prince of Persia. He was a man dressed in armour with an amulet at the centre of it. He had his right arm bandaged but was holding a unique dagger in his hand. He also held a sword in his left hand.

As they stood there face to face, Vega only chuckled as he stared at his opponent. The Prince didn't find this interesting and only stared at him unfazed. Vega brandished his claw while his lust for killing could be seen in his eyes. Still, the Prince was not intimidated.

"I hope you have righteous cause to die for, pretty prince. If not, then your death will be in vain and a strain upon your title" the masked fighter said.

The Prince only sighed deeply and glared at Vega in a surprisingly serious manner. It was apparent that he did not take Vega's words kindly. The masked fighter only mused to himself.

"What's wrong? Did I by any chance offend you?" he mockingly asked the Prince, but paused once he saw him pointing his dagger towards him.

"I better finish you off this instant. I cannot stand someone insulting my honour and duty as a prince!" he spoke up. "I will make you learn your mistake, whether you want it or not" he added while facing Vega.

The masked fighter only grunted at the Prince's threats, although he also seemed somewhat offended by it. "Arrogant prick, I will make you see the difference between you and I!" he said and prepared his stance.

The Prince only smirked by seeing this and prepared his stance with both his dagger and his sword. "Overconfident and foolish I see? Just the people I like to fight until they beg for mercy!" he noted with sarcasm.

Jack smiled when seeing the opponents getting ready and he raised his hand in the air. "NOW THIS FOLKS IS A BATTLE OF ELEGANCE! WHO WILL EMERGE VICTORIOUS FROM THIS FIGHT!? THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE PRINCE OF PERSIA FROM UBISOFT AND VEGA FROM CAPCOM BEGINS…." Jack commented before he finally swung his hand downwards.

Vega was the first to make his move and he dashed towards the Prince with his claw straight ahead. The Prince took caution of this and used both his sword and dagger to block Vega's charge. He was successful and right now, he and Vega clashed against each other. Each of them fought to hold dominion over the other.

"You have a remarkable way of blocking enemy attacks. However, let's see if you can match up to my speed!" Vega said and before the Prince knew it, Vega jumped over him and landed right behind him.

"Damn, he's fast!" the Prince cursed once noticing Vega standing behind him.

"You're too slow, puny prince!" Vega said and slashed the Prince's armoured back, much to his opponent's agony. He then proceeded to kick him on his back, thus sending him flying.

But while the Prince was lying on the floor and tried to get up on his feet, he smirked and held onto the amulet in the middle of his armour. All of a sudden, things began changing and Vega suddenly found himself clashing with the Prince. The masked opponent snapped.

"WAIT! I'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE! IS THIS SOME KIND OF DÉJÀ VU!?" he wondered in his head while clashing with the Prince.

He then proceeded to jump behind the Prince's back and slash his armoured back once again. It was to make sure it was done. He also kicked his opponent's back again and sent the Prince towards the glassed floor.

Once again, the Prince hold onto the amulet at the centre of his armour and all things began changing. Vega found himself once again clashing with the Prince and this time, it made him feel uncomfortable. His eyes widened.

"THIS CAN'T BE…HOW!? WHY AM I STILL STANDING HERE CLASHING!?" he asked in his head.

As he continued to clash, he could hear the Prince's laughter. The black-haired man smirked at his opponent, as he got the upper hand in the clashing. "You seem very terrified, my masked friend" the Prince commented before kicking Vega on his stomach. It sent the masked fighter a few meters away, but he quickly got up on his feet.

"YOU…WHAT SORCERY IS THIS!?" Vega demanded an answer from the Prince, who was smiling in return. He slowly began rubbing the amulet on his armour.

"You have figured it out, yes? Well that is phenomenal. I will reveal you something very unique of this world" the Prince said while continuing rubbing the amulet on his armour. "I foolishly managed to open one of this world's most twisted magic. That "magic" had the ability to manipulate…time" he revealed, much to Vega's shock.

"Time….wait! If what you say is correct…then that must be…" Vega was out of words as he could see the Prince nod his head as a yes to what he was thinking.

But all of a sudden, the Prince was positioned behind Vega's back and it scared the living hell out of the masked fighter. The Prince had used his sword and it was shining brightly with white light. He sheathed the sword before closing his eyes to think about what he had done in the past, while grabbing his bandaged arm tightly. Vega's shoulder was slashed and blood sprouted out of it.

The entire audience cheered at the Prince and Jack was filled with confusion at this. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat before speaking in the microphone. The audience wanted an answer from Jack. "THIS HANDSOME PRINCE STANDS VICTORIOUS! THUS THE WINNER BY KILL IS: THE PRINCE OF PERSIA!" he declared and the audience cheered for him in return.

The Prince walked away, ignoring most of the cheering. However, there was something that was going on inside his head. The prince was thinking about someone very dear to him, considering that he was a prince.

"Father…..I will…..rebuild your legacy" he thought in his head.

While studying the Prince's appearance, Jack mused to himself as he saw the Prince walking away. "This man is a mystery to me. I didn't know people from the Ubisoft Lordship would be that interesting. I need to learn more" he noted to himself.

* * *

_The next day, inside one of the apartments' many lobbies_

Crash had awoken up in a lazy manner. But thanks to a fresh shower, he was in top shape to go and eat breakfast. Similar to a hotel, each apartment had their own lobbies where the fighters ate breakfast, dinner or whatever kind of food. In addition, the lobbies were also perfect for socializing, although most fighters would rather hit the gym to improve their skills.

He was now waiting in line, hoping to get something delicious to eat. He could see orange juice and he would gladly take that for his drink. But what even made his mouth drool was a shiny Wumpa fruit lying among the fruit basket. The young bandicoot was even surprised that the fruit from his home was that popular. He took that along with a pair of newly-baked croissants.

He took a table and then dug in, slurping and biting till his stomach was satisfied. Before he knew it, he let out a large burp, something which made the fellow fighters eye him with annoyance. The young bandicoot gives them an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry….I can't control my manners when I'm hungry" he apologised while assuring them that he was not as nasty as they seemed to think.

Crash was just about to go get a new round of food, until someone spoke to him with a polite voice. The young bandicoot looked up to see a young woman dressed in green jacket, sea green pants, a belt around her waist and a green headband. Her hair was black and short and in addition, she had green lips. Crash fixed a normal expression on his face.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your appetite or anything" Crash said, but the young woman only chuckled in return.

"Well I don't mind. My partner has the same manners you have" she answered before clearing her throat. "But the reason I approached you was because of I wanted to ask if I could sit by your table. Most of the other fighters here have turned me down because they think I'm paparazzi" she revealed her intention of approaching Crash.

The young bandicoot smiled at the young woman and he warmly welcomed her to sit with him. "Sure, you're welcome" he said and the woman took a seat. Crash then reached his hand to her and she did so as well. "It's good to have company sometimes. The name's Crash Bandicoot. And as you may know, I'm a participant in this tournament" he introduced himself to her.

The young woman nodded her head in understanding. "I see. My name is Jade, and I'm also in this tournament. I'm both a skilled jodo martial artist and a freelance journalist. But my profession is journalism" she introduced herself with a smile. She also held up a camera to demonstrate her profession.

Crash was amazed by her words. "You're a freelance journalist? Awesome! That probably explains why most fighters thought of you as paparazzi" he noted, making Jade laugh.

"You're a funny guy, you know that? But anyway, even though I'm in this tournament as a participant, I also do my job as a freelance journalist" she said, making Crash confused. "You see, I come from Ubisoft and I work for a news corporation there, even though I don't know much of it" she revealed, much to Crash's surprise.

"Ubisoft, I hate to be dumb with you but I pretty much suck at geography" Crash said while he chuckled nervously. But the bandicoot suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. "Ubisoft, that's the same place the Prince of Persia comes from, right?" he asked her and Jade nodded her head.

"Correct. However, I really don't possess much information on him. But from what the rumours back in Ubisoft tell me, the Prince is of noble blood" she said, although she didn't know what she said was accurate. "But where are you from, Crash?" she asked him with a smile.

Crash decided to reply, not bringing himself to lie to a friendly woman like her. "I'm from Sony or more specifically from a chain of islands outside Sony" he answered her, much to her amazement.

"You're from Sony? That sounds interesting" she said in return. "But right now, Sony is locked in a conflict with the whole of Segendo. I've read the news about it recently" she explained.

The young bandicoot followed her and wanted to know more. "Wait, there are news about this conflict?" Crash asked him and Jade nodded. "I hate to ask you of this, Jade. But did you by any chance discover any news related to the Sony Organization?" he then asked her.

"From what I gather, the Sony Organization has seized control some islands called Wumpa Islands. They are now under the dominion of Sony" she revealed, thus shocking Crash.

As he heard Jade's revelation, he could only think about his friends and family back on the Wumpa Islands. Had that happened while he was drifting through the seas? And what condition were they all in? He only hoped that none of them had been executed by the soldiers of the Sony Organization.

The young bandicoot didn't feel like sitting by the table anymore so he quietly rose up from his seat and gave Jade a friendly smile. "I'm sorry to leave you alone here, but I need to go exercising. But I hope we meet again sometimes. We should probably hang out…..if you want that is" Crash tried to be as gentle as he could.

Jade showed understanding and nodded her head with a smile. "I understand Crash. I have no means of keeping you to myself all day. Go do what you feel like. And yeah, I hope we meet again soon. See you around" she said and waved him goodbye. Crash did so before he took off.

As Crash left, Jade could only think about how troubled Crash actually felt on the inside. But still, she didn't feel like she was needed, as she knew that Crash wanted to find out by himself. But hopefully, they could get better acquainted with one another. It would be nice to make a new friend while doing some undercover research in this tournament.

* * *

_In the gym, Tournament Park_

Steve and Hwoarang had already hit the gym after eating breakfast. They were both determined to develop their fighting, considering that their future opponents would perhaps be deadlier than what Lili and Asuka were.

Steve was now practicing his boxing while Hwoarang was gone for a toilet visit. The young man's reflexes were remarkable and his fists shot forwards like machine turrets. But as he shot his left arm forward, he could feel pain inside it, particularly from the scar. This made him stop and he held onto it for a brief moment. He then proceeded to practice his boxing, but as he shot his left arm one more time, the pain appeared again. It felt worse than it did before. Steve slowly fell onto his knees while clutching his left arm in hopes of easing the pain. But it didn't help.

"What did the Mishima Zaibatsu….do to me?" the young boxer asked as he could feel the pain in his left arm.

He remembered in discovering files that explained his birth. He was born in one of the Mishima Zaibatsu's many research facilities. His biological mother Nina Williams was undergoing a virtualization. Steve never knew of his days during infancy as he was adopted during that time. However, he always sought out the reason for the scar running across his left arm. There was one time when he, with the help of a well-renowned detective, discovered that he was a test subject for the Zaibatsu. This led him to hate the Zaibatsu and he actually destroyed one of their research facilities.

But in this facility, Steve found some interesting files that really caught Steve's attention. According to the files, they considered Steve to be a valuable test subject because of his blood. But that blood was not just that of his mother's. It was also that…of a Mishima. This convinced Steve that he was somehow…related to the Mishima-bloodline. But how could that be true? Or more importantly, who was his biological father?

"Damn it! The pain keeps getting worse!" Steve gritted his teeth angrily. But suddenly he could feel his body erupt and it came from his arm. This made him scream in pain.

Hwoarang, who had just gotten back from his toilet visit, rushed over to Steve's side and sat beside him. The auburn-haired man could tell that Steve was not feeling so good.

"Steve! We gotta get you to the hospital! You can't train in a condition like this!" Hwoarang tried his best to make Steve follow him, but to his surprise, the blonde-haired man rose up on his feet and headed straight towards the toilet. Hwoarang snapped by seeing this. "Wait! Where do you think you're going!? Come back, Steve!" the auburn-haired man called out to his friend, but Steve had already entered the toilet.

In the toilet, Steve washed his face, hoping it would help him getting back his senses. But he could still feel the pain in his left arm. He looked himself in the mirror and saw the scar. For some reason, he could see that the scar was in some way expanding. But that was only to his imagination. He hung his head over the sink, and he could feel the pain going away.

"It won't help anything by just standing there" a feminine voice suddenly called out to Steve. The young boxer snapped, because he knew that he was not alone in the toilet. He quickly turned around and caught a glimpse of his mother leaning against the toilet stall with her arms crossed. She was dressed in her purple assassin outfit. Steve freaked out in outrage.

"What the hell are you doing, stalking on me like that!? And why are you in the bathroom!?" Steve demanded to know from her.

Nina only rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Relax, boy. This bathroom is used by both men and women, so cut the gender-divide crap" she stated sternly.

Steve sighed in irritation, given the attitude his mother had towards him. "Whatever, how did you even get here? Have you waited here since the gym opened?" he wanted to know from her. The blonde-haired woman kicked the door beside her and it showed him an empty toilet, except for the fact that over it, an opening had been created in the gym's vent system running through the bathroom. Steve was stunned by what he saw. "So you basically infiltrated the gym with the help of the vent system? Tch, why am I not surprised" he remarked with sarcasm in his voice.

Nina was getting sick of Steve's sarcasm, so she fixed a serious look on her face and faced her son directly, much to his surprise. "You probably wanna know the reason I came to you. Well, I wanna know the reason why you're in this tournament" she stated sternly.

Steve was taken by surprise at her words. By that, it meant that he didn't get why she was obsessed with him all of a sudden. But she was his mother after all. "My goal for entering this tournament is simple: I wanna know the answers, no more conspiracies!" he said while clutching his left arm.

Nina mused at his statement. "So you're saying that you wanna find out more? But you know it already. You are the son of Nina Williams, daughter of well-renowned assassin Richard Williams" she pointed out to her son.

The young boxer was starting to get slightly annoyed by her behaviour. "I couldn't give a rat's ass about who my grandfather was….." Steve paused once his own mother held a knife against his throat. She showed no remorse while doing so. Although it caught him completely by surprise, Steve only smirked at her. "Why so worked up?" he mockingly asked her.

"Listen carefully, boy. If there's someone from your family you can trash talk, it is your aunt. However, don't you ever speak about HIM with such disrespect" she warned him and suddenly drew her knife away from Steve. She then walked towards the vent system, but not before turning around to say a few words to her son.

"So I guess this is goodbye for now?" Steve asked.

"Don't give me that smartass attitude, Steve! If you are determined to find more information, then I have no reason for stopping you. However, I advise you watch your back during this tournament" she surprisingly warned her son of dangers. She then entered the hole in the vent system.

Steve was alone in the toilet. He could only think about the words Nina said to him. But he immediately brushed it off. To find more information about his past was his work and his alone.

_To be continued…_

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**Author's note: That was chapter 12. Hope you enjoyed the fights and some of the conversations that were exchanged. Jade is a character from the critically acclaimed game from Ubisoft: Beyond Good and Evil. I also wrote a bit on Steve and his intention for entering the tournament. Stay tuned for more. **


	13. Sins of our Past

**Author's note: It's been a long time since I last wrote on this story. I have recently begun taking an interest in video games. This chapter will tell us about Nathan and Lara, as well as the new threat that arises in Segendo. We will also get to know a group with both familiar and non-familiar characters. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 13: Sins of our Past **

_Somewhere, in the Sony Lordship, a couple of days earlier_

Nathan Drake and Lara Croft was now having a discussion with an old friend of Nathan, whom he had known since he was a teenager. It was an old man called Victor "Sully" Sullivan. Ever since the occupation of the Wumpa Islands, the treasure hunting duo had returned to the mainland, but not without bringing somebody along with them.

Even know, Ratchet, Spyro and Sly were joining this discussion and they had accompanied Nathan and Lara to his apartment complex somewhere outside Athenaeum, Sony's capital city.

After Crash had stopped the tsunami from swallowing the Wumpa Islands and was drifted away from the sea, the Sony Organization had made their move to claim the islands as part of their territory. And of course, both Nathan and Lara had been arrested and was about to stay on trial. However, with enough riches and maneuvering, Sully had managed to bail both of them out. They were then taken to his apartment, where Spyro and the others had been waiting, considering that Nathan had told them to stay there while he and Lara dealt with the authorities.

"So let me get this straight" Sully said while trying to figure out the story, Nathan and Lara were telling him. "You two sought out something that would end the conflict between Kratos and Mario, only for you to make things worse!?" he asked, although he sounded outraged at the end of his sentence. The elderly man then facepalmed. "You sure have made quite a ruckus, haven't you Nate?" he added with a question.

"Look, I've already been told that by both Azulmona and Lara, so there's no need for you to add more pain" Nathan reminded him, but then sighed deeply. "Anyway, it turned out that it was not the orb that could help our cause…..it was Crash…..all along" he added to his statement.

Spyro tried to pat his shoulder in order to show some encouragement. "Easy there, bud. It's not your fault that Crash was lost in the sea" the young dragon assured him. Fixing a slight smile at the small dragon, Nathan could not help but to pat Spyro's head, who found it very weird.

"Thanks for the encouragement, little buddy" Nathan said to him.

"Eh, no big deal" Spyro replied, now knowing what to say in return.

Sly narrowed his cunning eyes at the treasure hunter and decided to speak up on behalf of his friends, specifically facing Spyro. "But I still fault him and his broad of a partner for being stupid enough to touch the Orb of Azulmona" Sly said to Spyro, only for Lara to fix a death glare on the anthropomorphic racoon. Seeing this only made Sly fix a cocky grin in return. "Relax, I was just being sarcastic" he insisted to her.

"Yeah, well your way of sarcasm sounds pretty unrealistic to me" Ratchet suddenly pointed out. But he faced everyone again. "But let's move onto more pressing matters. In my opinion, Crash would've wanted to remain anonymous if he had managed to survive. Maybe that is why he has not made any effort to contact us" he stated his opinion.

All of a sudden, Nathan's mobile phone vibrated and the brown-haired man decided to see who was texting him at a time like this. Once he had read through the message, his jaw fell in utter surprise.

"No way…..are you kidding me!?" he asked and suddenly ran for the living room, where the flat screen was located.

"Nate, what the hell are you doing!?" Sully asked as he did not get the young man's reaction.

Murray, Bentley and Clank were already watching some cartoons on the program, only for Nathan to snatch the remote from Clank and switch to another channel. He and the others were in for a surprise by what they saw on the screen. They could see a pink-haired reporter talk as she stood by the Glass of Fate stadium in Smileydai. However, Nathan and the rest of the gang were more focused on who she was talking to right now.

"Hey there, space cats! Ulala here reporting to Channel 5 from The King of Iron Fist Tournament in Smileydai! With me, I have one of tonight's winners of the first phase of the tournament: Crash Bandicoot! So tell me, Crash: What is your goal for entering this tournament?" the woman called Ulala held her microphone at Crash's mouth, who sounded very nervous to reply.

"Eh, I really have no particular goal…other than testing my skills and impress the audience, that is" Crash answered, but he suddenly saw the cameraman and snapped in surprise. "Oh, and I also want to say something to those back home! You don't need to worry about me! I'm doing great, really!" he then said at the camera while waving his hand.

"Well, how about we move on to see the winners? I am sure you space cats at home will like that!" Ulala suggested and the looked to see if there was someone she could focus on.

Crash's friends all smiled and even laughed in joy by seeing their friend standing in front of camera revealing himself. But Nathan specifically faced his mobile phone and began texting it.

"Thanks for letting me know, Cole! I really owe you one! We'll talk later! Peace out!" Nathan thought the message he was texting to his good friend and fellow warlord: Cole MacGrath.

"Hey Drake" the young man snapped by feeling a smiling Lara touch his right shoulder. He turned and faced the brunette with a smile of his own. "From the way I see it, your goal is not over yet" she remarked while facing him smugly.

Nathan only chuckled in return. "You know. I'm starting to think that you actually like me as a person" he jokingly remarked, only for Lara to snap in embarrassment by being told of this.

Sully watched this from the sidelines and chuckled by seeing Nathan tease Lara. "You're doing well so far, Nate! Keep doing it and she may become your bride!" he said and laughed out loud, only for Lara to feel even more embarrassed. However, Nathan also felt the same way, considering that Sully just brought up a very inappropriate subject.

* * *

_Somewhere, inside a cathedral, the city of Robocap, the Lordship of Capcom_

This city, similar in size to Smileydai, was the capital city of the Capcom Lordship. Like its sister lordships, it was one of the founding members of the alliance that would eventually become the Kingdom of Segendo, united under the banner of the Nintendo and Sega Lordships. The capital city was named Robocap, in honor of Megaman, one of the lordship' greatest heroes, as well as the current mayor of the city itself.

Like Smileydai, Robocap had also many tall skyscrapers that rose across the city like pillars of business and capitalism. Their streets were bustling with activity like their sister cities. However, what separated it from most cities, was the fact that Segendo's underworld held enormous power and influence. Crime was part of the city's lifestyle. Various criminal organization had made their homes in Robocap, among them the Shadaloo, led by the power-hungry and militant M. Bison.

However, M. Bison was perhaps not the biggest threat to the city. No, the biggest threat came from a large cathedral in the city's low-income areas, which had crimson windows. Most citizens thought the cathedral was abandoned and would soon crumble, but they were wrong. This was the hangout of perhaps one of the kingdom's greatest threats, if not the entire world.

Inside the cathedral there was a service ongoing and the organ was played. It played a melancholic tune across the hall and lights from the windows and the various statues of angels and the red crosses that dotted the halls only intensified the mood. Many people sat on the benches in rows, most of them dressed in black-hooded coats like they were monks. However, there were also zealots to be seen near the one who was praying before the statue of a large angel. It was a fallen priest by the name of Rodrigo Borgia. He was kneeling before the statue, accompanied by zealots and seven people dressed in black-hooded coats.

As the music stopped, Borgia rose up to his knees and folded his hands to pray before the statue. Those around him did the same thing and eventually, so did those who sat on the benches. Everyone folded their hands and lowered their heads to pray. Apparently, it was Borgia who acted as their priest.

"Brothers and sisters, let us take this moment to pray in honor of the only angel who truly understood the meaning of sacrifice in the name if God. And we shall do this in community" he declared and everyone was ready. "Ángele Dei, qui custos es mei, me, tibi commíssum pietáte supérna, illúmina, custódi, rege et gubérna. Amen" Everyone in the cathedral had prayed in Latin, and all of them said amen at the exact same time.

After the praying, the entire hall was in silence, as no one said a word, let alone move their bodies. It was a moment to reflect on where they were now and why they were honoring whoever this angel was.

Eventually, Borgia turned around and faced his followers with a respective glance, even going as far as to bow for them in gratitude. "I humbly thank every one of you for spending time with us. Even know, I can hear the Lord cry with overjoy to know that he has not been forgotten, as we have not been forgotten by him" Borgia spoke up, expressing his gratitude to everyone who had come to this service. "Now, let him lead you to the exit, and always remember that even outside this house, he will always be by your side" he went on explaining.

The cathedral's bells began ringing and it only signaled the end of this service. All the attendants rose up and made their way for the exit. As they exited, the organ was played once again and music began to fill the halls with tunes.

But once the majority of the attendants were out, Borgia could spot someone who had been watching the service from the sidelines. It was the orc named Thrall, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Seeing him made Borgia snicker with disgust. Thrall left his spot and approached the breast with his narrow gaze.

"Still entering a service, uninvited?" Borgia asked with contempt at the young orc. "I expected no less from an idealistic savage like you" he added, while expressing his racist thoughts.

Thrall only narrowed his blue eyes by hearing this, and he almost opened made his move to attack him. But he found calm within himself and proceeded to confront Borgia.

"You can drop the racist talk, Borgia. You and I still have some unfinished business left" the orc explained.

Borgia only raised an eyebrow in return. "Business, what business?" he asked while stretching out his arms in disbelief. "The contract between this church and your insufficient sect is long over!" the bumbling priest said in return.

"Perhaps you misunderstand" Thrall said while showing the priest his hammer. "Remember, it was you who requested me to raise a tsunami towards the Wumpa Islands, since you knew of Nathan Drake and Lara Croft's venture into Azulmona's temple!" he bellowed, but eventually looked past the priest to face the seven individuals dressed in black-hooded coats. "You crimson priests still owe us a debt!" he added to his anger.

All of a sudden, one of the hooded individuals unleashed lightning upon the orc, who narrowly dodged it by jumping sideways. Thrall then threw his Doomhammer at him, only for the individual to physically grab it with one of his muscular hands. His string arms were exposed. Thrall gritted his teeth in anger as he could hear the stranger's elderly chuckle. He then threw the Doomhammer at Thrall, only for the orc to catch it in return.

"Foolish mortal! You will learn to respect us!" the stranger said and then revealed his true identity by removing his coat. It was an elderly, but muscular man, with grey hair and facial hair stretching across his white silk clothes.

Thrall widened his blue eyes as he got a glimpse of what he was looking at. "You're…Zeus….Warchief Kratos' father!" the orc called out in shock.

Hearing this made the elderly man snicker with hate and unleashed his chain of lighting at the orc once again. "YOU DARE MENTION HIS NAME BEFORE ME!?" Zeus bellowed and fired.

Thrall could see the lightning come at him, but with a smirk, he used his Doomhamer to absorb it, thereby sending it back to him. Unfortunately, the lightning did not inflict damage upon Zeus as it only disintegrated before him.

Zeus began taking small steps towards Thrall. "You cannot use lightning against me, shaman! I am it's true and only master!" he added and was about to perform another attack, only for Borgia to stand before him.

"Restraint, Apostle Zeus! You are only disrupting the peace within this cathe…" the priest was kicked on his face by one of the other individuals, who only laughed and revealed who he was after shrugging off his coat. Borgia's face was bleeding, but he looked up to see him with a pleading glance. "Why are you…." the stout man was out of words.

The tall, dark-skinned man with orange hair and beard as well as jewelry decorated across his head only chuckled evilly in return. He was dressed in a black armor, wore a brown cape and carried a broadsword behind his back. This was Ganondorf: Ruler of the Gerudo Tribe and the Scourge of Hyrule Kingdom.

"Remember your place among us, Borgia" Ganondorf reminded him smugly, before fixing a deep frown. "You do not have the authority to command us!" he added and began facing Thrall.

"Apostle Ganondorf" Borgia said lowly and fearful at the same time.

The young orc got stunned. "This man…...he's a member of the Nintendo Lordship's assembly!" he thought while gritting his teeth in frustration.

Before he knew it, Thrall had to avoid a long sword almost slashing him, as well as well as a bullet of sand. They were being used by two other of the hooded individuals. Eventually they removed their coats, thus revealing their identities. The one with the long sword was a young grey-haired man dressed in black and wore metal shoulder parts. He even had a large black wing hanging from his back. This was the swordsman called Sephiroth.

"Hmmm…...I expected no less from a shaman who carries a heavy weapon" Sephiroth mused to himself, while pointing his blade at the orc.

"If he is a shaman, why has he not used his powers yet?" the questioned came from the other individual, who happened to be a young and stunning-looking woman dressed in a revealing red outfit akin to a monokini, adorned with two belts and long red cloth covering her lower back half and scarf-esque drapery around her arms. This was Kaileena: The Empress of Time, as well as the creator of the Sands of Time. She carried to blades along with her. "But then again, I can see that he his conflicted" she noted while observing Thrall.

"Damn it! They sure seem persistent!" Thrall cursed underneath his breath. But he could notice a malicious energy erupting near him.

"All of you stand aside!" an angry voice came from the one who was glowing red energy all around him. As soon as his coat disintegrated, his true form was revealed. It was a red-haired man with tanned skin and crimson eyes. This was Akuma: the powerful master of the Satsui no Hado. "This vermin…..WILL BE MINE TO EXTERMINATE!" the demonic fighter added as rage and bloodlust clouded his appearance.

Thrall, knowing that he had no chance against these fighters, ran for the exit, only for a couple of hands made of bones to arise from the floor. It was one of the hooded individuals, who had revealed himself. It was a pale-skinned man dressed in golden motifs, a reference to his royal roots. This was the fallen Elder God named Shinnok.

"Pleased to meet you in person, son of Durotan" Shinnok said as the bones and smoke disintegrated. "I have heard of your tales" he added with amusement in his voice, much to Thrall's distress.

"Who…...WHO ARE YOU ALL!?" the orc demanded and faced everyone in the hall.

Sephiroth only mused by hearing his statement. "Apparently you seem to lack information about us, even though your sect has been seeking our assistance" the grey-haired man said and brandished his sword for Thrall to see. However, he slowly began opening his jacket, exposing a small symbol written on his chest.

"No!" Thrall uttered out words slowly.

"Hmm" Ganondorf mused and removed his right glove, showing him a similar symbol on his hand. "Maybe this will convince you of who we are!" he added while showing the orc his symbol.

Kaileena turned around and revealed her symbol written on her exposed back. "We are no longer bound to the rules of mortals! From now on, we are only bound to the gods" she said while looking over her shoulder.

But while everyone had revealed who they were, the last hooded individual only watched from the sidelines with his arms crossed. Apparently, he was not amused by what he saw. Furthermore, he did not wish to expose himself, so he only sat on his chair in a lazy manner and yawned in boredom.

"I'm getting too old for this shit!" he thought while seeing his comrades surrounding the shaman. He then looked to his side to see Borgia panting while standing on his knees. The stranger only scoffed at him and pretended he didn't even see him. "Heh, idiot" he said of the priest.

Thrall, knowing that there was only one way out, suddenly slammed his Doomhammer on the floor and winds began surrounding him as a whole. But he did not mind saying some last words to those strangers.

"I am beginning to see the picture. You are that accursed order of zealots who have allied yourself with whatever evil Borgia and his followers worship!" Thrall remarked as he was lifted to the air thanks to the winds forming a ball of air around him. "From what you have shown me, this can only mean one thing: you are the sinners!" he concluded as he shot himself through the cathedral's roof.

The mysterious group looked upward to where Thrall had made a hole. Zeus, angrily raised his right arm against it, with lightning engulfing his hand. "That miserable worm is escaping! We must dispose of it!" he spat out in anger.

"There will be no need for that, Zeus" the voice of Shinnok came as he joined up with his comrades. He crossed his arms while not feeling amused by Thrall's actions. "He may be a slight thorn to our plans, but he and his sect will soon be disposed of!" the pale-skinned man insisted.

"How long are we planning on staying inside this downtrodden place?" Akuma demanded an answer from at least one of his comrades. "We should already be making our move!" he suggested, his monstrous aura managing to keep distance from those around him.

"Come now, Akuma. Have you not heard about patience once?" Ganondorf mockingly asked the red-haired man, who fixed his gaze upon him. This only made Ganondorf grin smugly. "Are you challenging me?" he asked while firming the grip on his sword.

Akuma slowly unleashed his anger upon the dark-skinned man. "Do not test me, Ganondorf!" he angrily, but slowly warned him.

"That's enough dicking around for now!" everyone turned around to see the only man still wearing his hooded coat walk towards them, crossing his arms after standing and watching his comrades. "I told all of you that seeking assistance from Thrall and his heretics was a bad idea! And you may know what he will do now!" he told them while sounding impatient.

Borgia slowly crept to this stranger's side and begged for his forgiveness. "But sire, I think Thrall contributed greatly to the Lord's cause! With his assistance we almost managed to drown the entire Wumpa Islands beneath the…..." the stout priest was once again, knocked away, this time by the stranger himself.

Borgia was lying on the floor with blood streaming from his face, while the hooded man only gazed at him with disappointment. "Arrogant abomination" he slowly muttered beneath his breath. The stranger then refocused his attention on his comrades. "Even I know that most will reject Thrall's warnings, I have a feeling that he will at least gain help from one organization: FOXHOUND" he pointed out to his comrades.

"FOXHOUND…...how do you suppose they will help the orc?" Sephiroth asked him.

The hooded man only remained silent and decided actually not to answer his question. In fact, he decided to walk over to the statue of the angels that were standing at the other end of the hall. He kept facing them through the darkness of his hood. Eventually, he was accompanied by his comrades, who looked up to the statues themselves.

"Just remember, when we were all at our deathbeds, he was the one who rescued us from the endless horrors and injustice. Therefore, we are all indebted to our savior" the hooded man explained while facing one of the statues. "We must never let him down. He saved us because he saw potentiality inside of us! He knew that we were all lost souls who had been wronged by this wretched world" he went on explaining while reminding the others about their loyalties.

"You are right" Sephiroth noted and eyed the statutes, even bowing his head in shame before them. "Forgive my negligence, my Lord. I will never forget thy guidance" the man with the black wing apologized while saying it in a formal manner.

"There is no other god than him!" Shinnok said and eventually, he kneeled before the statue, as did the others.

Kaileena faced the organist, who had so far, only watched the entire fight from the sidelines. "What are you standing there for!? Return to your place by the organ!" she demanded him, and the organist immediately complied.

Melancholic music was played in the cathedral once again and all these "Sinners" began praying before the statue of angels. Just who was this Lord they worshipped?

"Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem Sed libera nos a malo. Amen" once again, these zealots began praying in Latin. Whoever these people were, they seemed to worship a twisted form of whatever god they followed.

"There they are" Borgia noted, as he had regained consciousness from the stranger's attack and looked at the seven individuals praying before whoever their Lord was. "Envy, gluttony, wrath, lust, greed, pride and soth linger within each of them. They are more than mere followers or zealots. They were the Apostles. The Apostles of the Sins" the stout priest remarked as he faced the group of seven

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: Thank you for reading this chapter! We got to know how Nathan was doing. And we were introduced to what kind of madness Thrall really was working with, as the group calling themselves the Apostles of the Sins. Each member is from a famous video game series. Let us take a look at them, shall we? And what kind of sin do they represent?**

**Zeus (envy) – God of War (Sony) **

**Ganondorf (gluttony) – Legend of Zelda (Nintendo)**

**Sephiroth (wrath) – Final Fintasy (Square Enix) **

**Kaileena (lust) – Prince of Persia (Ubisoft) **

**Akuma (greed) – Street Fighter (Capcom)**

**Shinnok (pride) – Mortal Kombat (Midway)**

**Nearly all of them have been revealed, but who is the last member, the one who carries sloth within himself? And what kind of god and Lord do those different individuals with different backgrounds worship? And is Thrall really a villain in this story? Stay tuned for more, as we get back to the King of Iron Fist Tournament. **

**P.S: I used Latin in some of the prayers, considering that I thought it would be appropriate. And this Rodrigo Borgia is the one seen from Assassin's Creed, albeit with a more cowardly manner. **


	14. Dead or Alive

**Author's note: It's been a long time since I last wrote on this story. I have recently begun taking an interest in video games. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Dead or Alive**

_At the stadium called Glass of Fate, Tournament Park, Smileydai_

Lights, camera and spectators were filled with life, as the next round of fights in the match continued. However, both those who were fighting alone and those fighting as duos would have separate times, something Crash felt worried about. He felt like he needed some good friends like Hwoarang and Steve to watch him fight. But the young bandicoot had to suck it up. He would face off against whatever opponent it was.

But Crash was in for a surprise as he caught a glimpse of Jade, the woman he had met yesterday, leaning against a pillar. He could also see that some of the competitors from the previous match was present, including Cole MacGrath.

Crash ran to the green-lipped woman, who had already taken notice of him and waved her hand at the young bandicoot. "Hey there, Crash. Didn't know that we would meet in circumstances like this" she noted.

The young bandicoot only smiled in return. "Eh must be pure coincidence if you ask me" he remarked while scratching behind his neck. "So who do you think you'll be up against tonight?" he suddenly asked.

Jade was surprised when being asked about this, but she quickly brushed off her concerns with a shrug. "I'm not sure. Anything can happen tonight. Heck, you and I might be put up against each other" she suggested while not knowing the answer.

While Crash found her answer to be hilarious, he himself admitted that being put up against a friendly girl like Jade would be somewhat bad for him. The young bandicoot had no desire in fighting those he had made friends with, regardless of what the tournament was all about.

"Well, I sure am geared up for tonight's match!" Crash said with confidence in his voice, much to Jade's amusement.

Handsome Jack was once again greeted by a cheering audience and he just loved the cameras blitzing and the women screaming for his attention. But the strange man immediately cleared his throat before continuing.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I BID YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN WELCOME TO TONIGHT'S SPECTACULAR MATCH ON THE GLASS OF FATE!" he declared and the audience shouted in return. His platform was now floating beside the giant screen and it showed them who was up against who tonight. Jack smiled as the screen was switched on. "AND LET US TAKE A LOOK AT WHO'S UP AGAINST WHO TONIGHT!" he declared and pointed his finger at the screen.

Crash immediately fixed his eyes on the screen and he was stunned to see the chart.

_Jade vs Prince of Persia_

_Crash Bandicoot vs Kano_

_Raiden vs Isabella Valentine_

_Cole MacGrath vs Captain Falcon_

The young bandicoot was filled with shock over seeing who his opponent was going to be. He even gulped as a result. "Man, I am up against that Kano-guy. The one who beat Balrog to a pulp" Crash noted and looked briefly to his left side, as he knew that he was being watched.

The man with the laser eye only grinned when the bandicoot's gaze met his. It creeped Crash out. But he even got goosebumps when he saw Kano pull out a knife and point his finger at him. The black-bearded man then proceeded to almost rub his knife near his throat, trying to make a gesture to Crash. This indicated that he would kill him during this match.

"Man…...that guy's even more creepier than that Bryan-dude I fought the other day" Crash noted with disgust in his thoughts. In order for him, to not focus on Kano, he decided to resume his conversation with Jade. "So you're up against this so-called…." Crash stopped talking, as he could see the young woman fix a serious gaze towards her opponent.

The Prince of Persia fixed a similar gaze upon her while crossing his arms and they were beginning to have some kind of staring contest, something which made Crash feel worried.

"So it seems that I must face you sooner than what I had expected" Jade noted in her thoughts while staring at the young man.

The Prince never changed the expression on his face while glancing at Jade. "A mere journalist is supposed to fight me? How inconvenient" he thought.

"ALRIGHT! WILL THE PRINCE OF PERSIA AND JADE PLEASE STAND UP ON THE PLATFORM!?" Handsome Jack asked loudly enough for both people to respond.

As Jade was about to join the Prince in the elevator, she paused by hearing Crash's voice calling to her. Turning around, she could spot the bandicoot giving her a thumbs up gesture at her, while forming a gleeful smile on his face.

"Do your best, Jade!" Crash told her.

While stunned by this at first, Jade soon formed a smile of gratitude and nodded her head at him in return. This indicated that she gladly accepted his encouragement. The green-lipped woman then made her way towards the elevator that eventually took the opponents to the main platform. Not a word was said between them while they were in the elevator.

As they both made their way towards the platform's center, Jack whistled in amazement by what he was seeing. "THIS MATCH WILL BE QUITE A SHOW, FOLKS! YOU SEE, BOTH THE PRINCE AND JADE ARE FROM THE UBISOFT LORDSHIP! PERHAPS WE GET TO SEE HOW THEY DO THINGS IN UBISOFT-STYLE!" he commented.

The two opponents readied their stances, with Jade brandishing her stick and the Prince pulling forth his dagger. They readied their stances, as they were about to face one another in combat. But first, they could have a few words with one another.

"I don't know why you're here, but know this, journalist: you will not interfere with my business!" the Prince spoke up strictly.

Jade only narrowed her eyes by hearing this. "Your actions have gone too far, Prince! You are only putting the Ubisoft Lordship in a more vulnerable position in the kingdom!" she told him.

The Prince did not like the answer and tightened the grip on his dagger. "Shut your mouth! Since when did we become part of a kingdom!? Ubisoft was ALREADY a kingdom from the start!" he spoke up and then proceeded to draw his shiny blade.

Jade's eyes awed by seeing it glowing with pure light. "That sword….is that…." Jade was stopped by the Prince's nod.

"You are correct. This is the blade of King Sharaman. The blade of my father!" he revealed and brandished it for the young woman to see. "And with it, I shall correct the mistakes I have done and liberate Ubisoft from this hegemonic madness!" he added to his determination.

Jack realized that both fighters were ready and raised both hands in the air. "ALRIGHT! LET THE FIGHT BETWEEN JADE FROM UBISOFT AND THE PRINCE OF PERSIA FROM UBISOFT…" he said while swinging both hands down. "BEGIN NOW!" he finally gave them the green light.

Jade made the first move and charged towards her opponent. But she used her stick to lift herself up in the air, intending on attacking the Prince from above. While in the air, Jade swung her stick, only for the Prince to block her with his weapons.

"I knew he would predict my attack" Jade noted, before landing on the floor and began circling around her opponent. When she felt that the time was right to attack, he immediately ran up to him, although the Prince swung his weapons in circle. Fortunately for Jade, she managed to jump over them, and proceeded to deliver a kick in the Prince's face. "But I knew you would not predict this" she then noted smugly.

But the Prince quickly mounted his defense by pointing the tips of his weapons at her, forcing Jade to land on the ground, eventually delivering a kick to his feet that sent him lying on his back. However, the Prince used his legs to kick around and they managed to hit Jade. He then quickly got up on his feet.

"Try to keep up!" the Prince taunted her and then jumped sideways while holding his weapons in a blocking position. "If you can, that is" he added to his taunt.

Jade only fixed a smug smile in return. "It's too soon to get cocky" she said in return and then jumped sideways as well, trying to deliver an attack with her stick. But the Prince were already blocking it once again, however, they were both clashing against each other with their weapons. Each of them were trying to overpower the other.

"LOOK AT THIS, FOLKS! BOTH COMBATANTS ARE HAVING THEIR FIGHT OF A LIFETIME!" Jack commented while the audience cheered in return.

The two combatants clashed with their weapons and it was obvious that both were doing their best they could to overpower the other. "You must swallow your pride and see reason, Prince!" Jade tried to convince him while they were clashing.

"So you would have me enslave our lordship? Give its power to a false Segendian king!?" the Prince asked, and he managed to kick away Jade, thus ending the clash. The young man faced his opponent with a disapproving glance while stroking his armor, especially where is amulet were located at. "Corruption is rampant in this country, young girl! Ubisoft has no need for such!" he spoke out his opinion.

"You speak of corruption, yet it was you and your father who unleashed the Sands of Time!" Jade pointed out, thus snapping the Prince out of his stubbornness. "I know all about you and King Sharaman's actions, including the foolish decision you made by opening the Sands of Time. And by opening it, you have unleashed corruption in Ubisoft!" she added to her statement.

Hearing this made the Prince filled with anger and he charged at the young woman with all his rage. He swung his blade at her, only for her to dodge it by jumping sideways. But the Prince was not done with her yet. "Little brat! Don't speak as if you know the story of our mistake! You know nothing about it!" the Prince yelled and proceeded to swing his blade at her one more time.

Jade ducked and proceeded to launch herself at her opponent, thus forcing him on the floor. "You're right! I know nothing! But at least I know that releasing something as dangerous as the Sands of Time is a foolish mistake!" she told him while she was punching him.

The young man managed to catch both her fists and got the young woman off him, drawing his dagger and swung it at Jade. Although she narrowly dodged it, she could feel that it left a small cut at her left cheek. It bled as a result. She knew that his swordsmanship was not to be underestimated.

The Prince got up on his feet and swung his weapons to warm himself up. "I grow tired of hearing more people telling me about my failures! Therefore, you leave me no choice but to just end this match, unless you are willing to give up" he came up with a suggestion. The young man brandished his weapons. "Forfeit the match if you don't wish to be humiliated" he sternly warned her.

Insulted by hearing this, Jade readied her stick. "Forfeit the match? Against you?" she asked while narrowing her eyes. "Over my dead body! There's no way that I'll forfeit for the sake of an arrogant fool like you!" she said in response to the Prince's words.

The Prince only narrowed his eyes by hearing her answer. "So be it!" the Prince said, and ran towards Jade. "I will show you who's the arrogant among us by teaching you a lesson in humility!" he added while readying his weapons. The young woman stood ready, but all of a sudden, she was surprised by seeing him standing right behind her.

"You.…..how did you…" Jade asked while she was stunned. "How…he was just running straight towards me just a second ago….but when did he appear behind me!?" she wondered aloud in her head.

The Prince only sheathed his weapons and looked over his shoulder to face the young woman. "For someone who's been stalking me, you seem to know little about my hidden power" he remarked and then began rubbing his bandaged right arm. "Someone like you could never hope to understand the pain I have had to endure as punishment for opening the Sands of Time. Not only did it cost our kingdom and its people, but also my father, my friends…and even my mother" he spoke up with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

While Jade stood and listened, she gradually felt her entire body becoming more painful. In fact, she felt as if she had been cut many times throughout her body. In time, the cuts began exposing themselves and both her green jacket and pants were torn to pieces, leaving only trails of blood in their wake. Jade felt her stamina fade away and she slowly fell onto her knees. Her head was no longer able to think about anything but accepting defeat.

"You have no reason for resisting your defeat. It is inevitable. But I have not killed you and you are still alive and breathing. But know this: the sole reason I am sparing you is the fact that you are a citizen of the Ubisoft Lordship. I am not so dishonorable as to kill my kinsmen" the Prince revealed to her. "However, I have inflicted enough damage so that you may fall into unconsciousness. But let this be a listen to you or any of our fellow countrymen or lady, who dares stand in my way!" he added to his explanation, as the young woman fell onto the glassed floor, lying completely defeated.

Jack took his time to study, so he decided to declare the winner. "IT SEEMS THAT JADE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO FIGHT, ALTHOUGH SHE'S NOT DEAD! THUS WINNER BY KNOCKOUT: THE PRINCE OF PERSIA!" he declared and the entire audience cheered in return, as many had hoped the Prince would advance to the next round. Jack took his time to study the Prince once again. "Man, how that man makes me intrigued! However, the words he exchanged with Jade made me only more interested in his objectives. Maybe I will have to search more" Jack noted in his head.

Walking his way towards the elevator, the Prince could not help but to feel a hint of regret within himself, especially since he had to fight a person from the same lordship as him. He rubbed his head, hoping that the pain would go away.

"Damn it! Why is this happening to me!?" he wondered aloud in his thoughts while gritting his teeth in frustration. "To hell with you…Vizier…Kaileena!" he added to his hateful thoughts. But he eventually made it to the elevator and took returned to the lower platform.

The moment the Prince had gone back to his spot by leaning against the pillar, Crash faced him with a wary glance. "Man,…..this Prince is one heck of a swordsman. But what strike me the most was the fact that he chose not to kill Jade" he noted in his thoughts. "Even so, I best watch out for him from now on. He sounds like a very deadly opponent" Crash noted in his thoughts while studying the Prince.

"OKAY! WILL CRASH BANDICOOT AND KANO PLEASE COME TO THE PLATFORM!" Crashw as interrupted by the voice of Jack, and he could already see Kano making his way towards the elevator.

With reluctance, Crash followed the laser-eyed man and they both took the elevator to the main platform. While in the elevator, Crash could only see Kano beginning to assess the tips of his knives. The young bandicoot knew what this meant. Kano was definitely planning on skinning him alive.

As they both exited the elevator and entered the main platform, Crash was once again treated to the spectacular view of the cheering spectators, flying cameras and Handsome Jack, facing them with great enthusiasm. However, Crash had slowly begun to get used to this.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ONCE AGAIN, WE GOT TO SEE CRASH IN COMBAT, ONLY THIS TIME, AGAINST KANO!" Jack called out and everyone cheered in return.

In fact, Crash could see that Kano was actually playing with his knife by spinning it around the glassed floor. He kept doing that before noticing Crash watching him. Forming an evil smirk, the man with the laser eye picked up his knife and juggled it, putting it back to its sheath on one of his boots afterwards.

"I'm gonna enjoy this match, bandicoot!" the black-bearded man spoke with delight. He then proceeded to check on his elbow blades, which sprouted out like deadly traps. "Back home, I used to skin poor marsupials like you for sport! And none of them ever managed to outrun me!" he then added while tapping the tips of his elbow blades.

Hearing this made Crash almost want to throw up on the floor, but he sucked it up. "I don't even notice any deception in his words. He's really bent on killing me!" Crash thought while readying his stance. "But I gotta stay focused. Come on, he's just a thuggish brute like Bryan, so it shouldn't be that difficult" the bandicoot added to his thoughts.

"OKAY! THE MATCH BETWEEN CRASH BANDICOOT FROM SONY AND KANO FROM MIDWAY" Jack said while raising his hand in the air before swinging it down. "MAY COMMENCE NOW!" he gave them the green light.

Crash immediately ran towards Kano. But before he could land a kick at him, Kano grabbed hold of his foot and then broke it, much to Crash's own agony. Kano then proceeded to use his signature spinning ball technique and sent him flying.

The young bandicoot landed on the floor with only one knee, but his right foot felt completely numb. He still felt the pain and slowly winced. "Argh.…..my foot! I can't feel it anymore!" he noted with distress. "This guy really is savage!" he added to his thoughts.

But Crash was too foolish to focus on his foot as he failed to see Kano appear right before him. The black-bearded man grinned evilly and grabbed both his shoulders, then giving him a hard kick on his stomach, before tossing him over to the other side of the platform. He basically treated Crash like a punching bag.

The young bandicoot landed on his back, couching out blood after landing. He felt immense pain inside his stomach. He barley possessed enough strength to stand on his own feet.

"How did that feel, eh!?" Kano mockingly asked before bursting out into laughter. "I was told that you had a hidden potential, yet all I see is nothing but a bloody twit!" he added with slight dispassion.

Crash stubbornly resisted the pain while standing up. But he was once again grabbed b Kano and then then pulled into a bullying position. The man with the laser eye took pleasure in tormenting his opponent even going as far as laughing at seeing Crash getting dizzy by his shaking.

"OH MY GOD! CRASH IS UTTERLY GETTING BEATEN UP BY KANO!" Jack commented from above.

Right after the bullying was done, Kano used his laser eye to zap at the bandicoot and then sent him to the floor. Crash quickly got up on his knees, but Kano was too fast for him.

"Damn it! He sure is fast!" Crash cursed beneath his breath as Kano pulled up both knives with a sadistic grin.

"Time to skin you alive!" Kano exclaimed as he to everyone's shock, stabbed one knife in Crash's right knee, causing the young bandicoot to howl in pain. The knife was actually tipping his bones. Without any signs of remorse, Kano stabbed the other knife into Crash's left knee, causing both knees to bleed endlessly. The young bandicoot was howling in pain and was unable to move. "Oh, shut up, ya fuckin' beast!" Kano shouted and delivered a kick right at Crash's own face. That kick was nearly hard enough to crack his skull.

Crash was sent to the floor, with a pool of blood surrounding him. All this pain had caused him to lose his consciousness and he felt himself drifting away from life itself. He could no longer hear the incredibly noise coming from the tribunals, and his vision was becoming blurry.

"No…how…could this…happen…" Crash wondered as he could see something in his vision. Slowly and steady, it was revealed to be Kano, who was now licking the blood off his knife and was preparing to zap him to death. The young bandicoot felt hopeless as the black-bearded man was filled with satisfaction. "I can't give in…not now….NOT YET!" determination boiled inside of him.

"I can't wait to collect my payment!" Kano exclaimed and prepared his laser. "So long then, bandicoot! Nothing personal!" he added with sadism.

Jack and the spectators were in for a surprise as they could see Kano, suddenly being pushed away from his position by Crash. Everyone saw that the young bandicoot was still breathing, regardless of his serious injuries. But there was something else with him. Crash slowly got up on his feet as his eyes began to glow teal, much to his opponent's surprise.

"What the hell's going on!?" Kano demanded underneath his breath.

The young bandicoot suddenly grabbed around Kano's waist and proceeded to jump in the air and threw him to the glassed floor. Crash landed as Kano barley had begun to stand on his feet.

"You little piece of…." Kano was interrupted by a Crash delivering a powerful punch to his face, thus sending him flying.

"UNBELIEVABLE! CRASH IS SUDDENLY KICKING KANO'S ASS!" Jack commented with a whistle. "AND HE SEEMS TO BEHAVE MORE BADASS THAN THE LAST TIME HE FOUGHT!" the mysterious man added.

The young bandicoot watched the palm of his hand with his glowing eyes. "It's happening again!" he thought with surprise. "That power that I unleashed on the Wumpa Islands….it's beginning to shape within my body! But what is it!?" he wondered as he could notice Kano getting up on his feet, spitting out blood while doing so. This made Crash ready his position. "But I will have to find out later. Defeating Kano should be my priority" Crash added.

"You really surprised me there, little man" Kano admitted, but eventually forming his frown into a grin once again. "But that was only mere luck! I'll make this quick!" he exclaimed while using the spinning ball technique. The black-bearded man was doing it at a fast pace and it seemed impossible for Crash to simply dodge him.

The young bandicoot did not move, and as Kano was nearing his location, Crash did the very unthinkable. With the help of his two hands, he managed to push Kano away, the black-bearded man fell on his back once again.

Crash formed a smug smile at him. "Wow, didn't you just stab my knees and kick my face before this?" Crash mockingly asked him. "I know this may sound fruitless, but I'll do it anyway. If you surrender now, then you don't have to deal with this humiliation anymore" the young bandicoot suggested to him in a so-called friendly manner.

However, he could see the angry look on Kano's face, as his laser eye glowed red with fury. "Just what do you think you're doing, mate?" Kano asked lowly before jumping up to his feet, still feeling infuriated. "Are you seriously dicking with me!?" he angrily demanded, as he felt insulted by Crash's words.

The young bandicoot only shrugged his shoulders in response. "Man, it's just a suggestion. But if I was in your shoes then I would've done that" Crash simply responded in return.

In his fury, Kano grabbed both of his knives and threw them at Crash in a fit of rage. To his utter shock however, Crash grabbed hold of them both and suddenly dropped them to the glassed floor. Kano had enough and readied his laser eye.

"QUIT FUCKING WITH ME, YOU BLOODY RODENT!" Kano shouted as he fired. However, he quickly noticed that Crash was not there.

In fact, Crash was standing right behind him, and Kano could hear that once he heard his voice. The black-bearded man snapped. "You really do have a bad temper!" Crash remarked while looking up to Kano. "Anyways, maybe I'll finish this match by returning the favor you gave me….on my terms!" Crash explained as he suddenly floated above the glassed floor to grab Kano by his neck. The grip was incredibly strong, and even Kano felt like he couldn't break loose. Desperate, he tried to use his laser eye, only for Crash to see this. "Not so fast, mate!" Crash said in a mocking Australian accent similar to Kano's own.

Crash then punched Kano's stomach which sent him right up towards the sky. However, Crash with this stranger power was able to fly just before he could fly above the stadium, let alone the Tournament Park as a whole. Standing in the air, Crash waited for Kano to arrive and when he did, the young bandicoot let him taste a knuckle sandwich. Kano was as a result sent falling down towards the main platform like a meteor and he landed on it painfully. However, the glass underneath him began to show cracks and it shattered, thus making an unconscious Kano fall through.

Surprisingly, he was saved all thanks to Crash's help, who put him on a safe spot. He could see how serious his face had been messed up, and even his laser eye had been wrecked. The teal eyes of Crash began disintegrating and he sighed deeply after he had completed his work.

"I know that you tried to kill me and all, but I think that you were only doing that because it was your job" Crash thought while thinking about why he would actually save Kano's life, when he had tried to skin him alive. "So just like I did with Bryan, I take no pleasure in killing my opponent" he said as he walked towards the elevator.

Handsome Jack, who had been so focused on Crash's talents, immediately snapped back into reality and declared the young bandicoot the winner. "OKAY! KANO IS IN NO CONDITION TO CONTINUE FIGHTING! SO WINNER BY KNOCKOUT: CRASH BANDICOOT!" Jack declared and the entire audience shouted loudly with cheers for Crash, as they had indeed been entertained by his match.

After Crash exited the elevator, he immediately winced in pain, as he could still feel it in his knees. This forced him to lie on his stomach and he could spot medics running towards him with a bed. The young bandicoot sighed deeply.

"Aw come on! Is it hospital visit for me now!?" Crash added while slowly wincing.

But the medics only lifted him and put him on the bed, before running towards the stadium's exit. On the way out, Crash could see some of the other contestants look at him as he and the medics ran past them.

He saw Cole raise a thumb at him, while smiling smugly. "Good work out there, boy! You deserve some rest!" the bald-headed man said while praising him.

He could even see Raiden and the Prince of Persia having their glances fixed upon him, although they did not say anything like Cole did. However, Crash was stunned when he saw Raiden giving him a nod in approval, indicating that he was amused by Crash's own match.

As the young bandicoot and the medics exited the stadium, Crash could not help but to wonder if staying in this match really was such a good idea. Sure, he wanted to remain anonymous from those who would hunt him, but was entering the King of Iron Fist Tournament necessary. The words that Kano had told him while lying on the glassed floor continued to haunt Crash's thoughts.

"Time to collect my payment" he recalled as hearing Kano say. But was the just bluffing? Or was there without a doubt a bounty placed on his head. All this thinking made him more worried than ever.

* * *

_Later, somewhere in the outer reaches Smileydai_

Inside a huge skyscraper, similar to the HQ of the Mishima Zaibatsu, the G Corporation was having a meeting of its top executives. The one who sat by the edge of the table was it current CEO: Kazuya Mishima. Having previously killed the former CEO, as well as other top executives of the organization, Kazuya had named himself the new leader and continued the trade war against the Zaibatsu.

The G Corporation had always considered itself the Mishima Zaibatsu's sole competitor in terms of industry and technology. But it was stranger that a Mishima was actually leading it, although Kazuya was only using the organization as a means to oppose Jin, as well as wrestle him out of control of the Zaibatsu.

Kazuya was resting his fist underneath his cheek with a displeasured glance while facing one of his trusted confidantes "So Kano failed and was disqualified from the tournament?" he asked the attractive, but deadly brunette named Anna Williams. The black-haired man with the red eye sighed in disappointment. "Why am I not surprised?" he added with sarcasm.

Anna only smiled smugly in return. "Well, I recommended you not to hire the Black Dragon" she said and looked over the table to face a muscular man who sat across the table from her point of view. "But then again, it was your idea all along, wasn't it Bruce?" she added while addressing the man by his name.

The man named Bruce Irvin only shrugged his shoulders by hearing this. "I never said that we should've hired Kano specifically. There are other members to choose from" he insisted. "But other than Kano, I only know two of them" he admitted.

"Then let my guess: you hired Kano because he was cheap?" Anna teasingly asked him, much to Bruce's annoyance.

"Look, I didn't expect him to lose against a…overgrown wombat or something!" Bruce pointed out to her. He then faced Kazuya. "It seems that we all underestimated his hidden potential, Kazuya" he admitted to his superior.

Kazuya fixed a slight smirk with his mouth. "Well thanks to Kano, we already know that, just as wanted" he remarked and let out an evil chuckle, as he felt like Kano had done what they had asked him for. "But enough fooling around. The King of Iron Fist Tournament is still ongoing and there have been no incidents related to political issues so far" he added while fixing a slight frown.

Bruce nodded at him. "Yeah, ever since the Sony Organization seized control of the Wumpa Islands, there have been no news in relation to the conflict between King Mario and Warchief Kratos" the muscular man added. "However, there have been "rumors" circulating….in the Ubisoft Lordship" he suddenly revealed.

Anna's face was filled with curiosity. "What? But what's so special about them? They are already a part of Segendo and it is currently ruled by a regency loyal to King Mario" she quizzed while pointing out a few facts.

"I know that, but don't forget: Ubisoft is one of Segendo's troubled corners, alongside Blizzard, Rockstar and Enix" Bruce spoke up. "Anyways, I have a suggestion that Ubisoft's former prince is participating in the tournament" he added.

"You do have a point" Kazuya remarked. "The one who calls himself the Prince of Persia must be the one you speak of, Bruce. Do not forget that Persia is a province within the Ubisoft Lordship" he added.

Anna formed a smug smile with her face. "I have heard so much about him. Quite a handsome prince" Anna admitted. He must King Sharaman's son. But why is he here in Namco all of a sudden" she then wondered in her thoughts.

"We could care less about him for now" Kazuya's voice interrupted them. "Right now, we must take great caution to the Mishima Zaibatsu and whatever goals they hope to accomplish by arranging this…...tournament" he added, his voice filled with disgust. "Jin…...I know that you are still hiding within your tower. However, I have a plan to lure you out of hiding" the black-haired man thought with a smirk forming across his face.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will decide on whether I should focus more on this or The Feature Film Wars when it comes to the Fictiontopia stories. However, I do feel tired of only focusing on movies.**


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